On October 26, 2018 I attended the Boston show of the Twenty One Pilots Bandito Tour. This is the band’s first shows performing songs from their new album, titled Trench, which came out October 5, 2018.
Twenty One Pilots has been my favorite band for years now. I have always loved their unique sound, which is often difficult to place into a specific genre. However, by the time I had come to fully know and understand them, the band had already passed Boston during the tour of their previous album, Blurryface. However, it would be over a year until new music actually dropped. Following the final leg of the Tour De Columbus (a series of shows specifically in the boy’s home state of Ohio), a hiatus lasting over a year long would take place. This was far more than just new content, as there was little to no public appearances or social media interactions from the members. This complete disconnect confused many, but overall increased the anticipation for their return, possibly with new music.
Out of the blue, on July 11, 2018, a new music video for new song Jumpsuit released, as well as a lyric video for song Nico and the Niners. On top of this sudden shock for fans, it was soon after that tour dates for their new album were released.
The day of ticket releases was one of the most stressful days ever. One of my best friends, Ari Cavallaro, and I had planned to get tickets to see the band together. However, we knew how difficult this process would be. Thousands of people were on the same website, rapidly buying tickets. It was impossible to tell if we would be able to get them or not. Thankfully, I had my dad help us with the process, and to my utter surprise we actually got seats (thanks dad)!
Shortly after finding our seats, a girl approached us with triangle-shaped papers.
The paper was yellow and was meant to cover a phone flashlight. During the song "Jumpsuit" everyone held his or her flashlight and the paper and to create a sea of yellow light. This was a project created by a group of fans and I thought it was a really cool idea.
Before the main show, there were two opening acts. The first was Max Frost, who is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. I had never heard of him before this and it was nice to be introduced to some new music.
Next was the band AWOLNATION. They are an American rock band fronted by Aaron Bruno, best known for their songs "Sail" and "Run." I did not know any of their other songs other than these two, so it was interesting to hear them live and hear some of their other songs.
After the openers, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun of Twenty One Pilots took the stage. They opened with their songs Jumpsuit and Levitate, which blend seamlessly together when played back to back.
After these, the band played a set of some of the most popular songs from their previous album, Blurryface. The set included songs like Stressed Out, Ride, and Heathens, which have all received a lot of attention from the public
Following this, the song Nico and the Niners from Trench was performed, and the boys moved from the main stage to a smaller stage using a catwalk that hovered over the floor.
In this smaller and more intimate setting, a set of slower songs were performed. It began with the song "Taxi Cab," coming from the band's first self-titled album, which was released in late 2009. This song is a fan-favorite and had been heavily requested that they play live from the previous tour.
After this song, a three-dimensional, transparent screen was dropped from the ceiling surrounding the boys and their instruments. It would be used to provide stunning visuals while the songs "Neon Gravestones" and "Bandito," from the new album, were performed.
After the set, the band transferred back to the main stage using the catwalk, and performed the upbeat song "Pet Cheetah," while doing so.
After returning to the main stage, and performing fan-favorite "Holding on to You," the band played two covers. The first was "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls, and the second was "Hey Jude" by the Beatles. The boys performed these songs with openers Max Frost and AWOLNATION as well.
After this small set, Twenty One Pilots played three more new tracks from the new album. These were My Blood (one of my personal favorites), Morph, and Leave the City.
Before Leave the City, the closing song from the album Trench, the song "Car Radio" was played. It is a special song to the band and its fans as it is one song that further boosted them into the spotlight and gained them more public recognition.
Following tradition that has been held since the start of the band, Twenty One Pilots closed the show by performing the song "Trees." This song, featured on the 2013 album "Vessel," is one of the first songs Tyler, the lead singer, had ever written, at the age of 17. Though limited in words, Trees demonstrates one of the most important messages and incredible energies of any of their songs. During the performance. the boys carry bass drums over the crowd, the floor holding them up. They also hold up Tyler and Josh themselves, as they play along to the song's major beat drop.
Seeing this song live was one of my main motivations for going to this concert, as I have seen a countless number of videos online taken during it. Experiencing it live met all of my expectations and more, and I think it is the perfect song to close out a night of amazing music.
Twenty One Pilots shows demonstrate the exact reasons as to why many people love experiencing live music. Each song brings out its own unique energy from its sound and the crowd listening and singing along. While I am still young and have been to a few concerts in my lifetime, this is the best one I have ever seen, and I know it will be one of my favorites of all time. Thank you Twenty One Pilots for all the effort you put into your shows and dedicating your lives into creating music that resonates with people of all ages, all around the world.