Live Review: Twenty One Pilots - Rogers Arena, Vancouver 12/05/2019
Twenty One Pilots bought the Bandito Tour to Vancouver’s Rogers Arena last weekend, giving fans a night they’ll never forget.
As you walked into Rogers Arena on May 12th, the energy and excitement of the fans filling the room was truly palpable, with screams randomly erupting well before the band were set to hit the stage. As the lights finally went down and Josh Dun (drums) entered holding a fire torch, the room positively exploded with sound. He walked across the stage to the sound of an engine revving towards his drum set while Tyler Joseph (vocals, bass, ukulele, keys) rose into view atop a shell of a car. Getting straight down to business with one of the lead singles from their latest album Trench, “Jumpsuit” got off to a fiery start, as the car on stage burst into flames. Joseph played the bass as he sang and moved around the stage, while Dun smashed it (pun intended) on the drums. This energy never seemed to dissipate throughout the show as Joseph worked his way through 3+ outfit changes, and played three different instruments, and Dun continually seemed to lose layers of clothing.
Twenty One Pilots have always been one of those bands whose live show is something that people talk and rave about to no end, and when you finally see it for the first time you realize why. Their songs, especially the hits (“Stressed Out”, “Lane Boy”, “Chlorine”), fill the room with their power and make you feel invincible. Dun, Joseph, and their team have also come up with some unique and engaging ways of making the room transform throughout the show and making sure that every fan, no matter where they are seated, feels like they’re an active part of the show. During Nico and the Niners a chain lined catwalk descended from the ceiling that Joseph spends the majority of the song performing on as it raises him up and down before turning into a bridge between the main stage and the b-stage in the middle of the arena. Then, during Car Radio, nearer to the end of the set, Joseph runs along the floor to the very back of the room where he climbs atop a small scaffold tower, singing to the very back of the room.
It’s easy to see how these two young men have gained such an intense and dedicated fan base over the past ten years. Their show feels like more of a spectacle than it is a music event, with countless lights, imagery, and moving parts. All of it somehow makes you feel like that seat you’re in is exactly where you need to be at that moment, whether or not you were one of the thousands who dressed up for the occasion with your camo, army green, and yellow duct tape. Twenty One Pilots’ show feels like it’s a family gathering.
Words and photos by Kelli Anne