Twenty One Pilots have always wanted to create spectacle. From dangling a microphone off a fishing rod during those early basement gigs to the disappearing acts and crowd-surfing drum solos of their recent arena shows, the duo have always tried to get the most from whatever space theyâve found themselves in.
- Read more: The NME Big Read: Twenty One Pilots: âI hope our fans will hang on for the rideâ
Seven months in the making, Friday night (May 21) saw the band take over the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio for their first virtual concert. Rather than trying to recreate what they usually do â but without the fans â Twenty One Pilots instead set out to see just how far they can push their celebration of new record âScaled and Icyâ. âIn a world where this is as good as it gets, it will still be the best youâve ever seen,â Tyler Joseph promised on Twitter before the show, a rare showing of bravado. Turns out he had every right to be so confident.
Proceedings open with a deliberately awkward interview between Joseph and two breakfast television hosts (âthereâs not even 21 pilots,â one remarks, âthereâs only two guys in the bandâ). If they look familiar, thatâs because theyâre actually two of the authoritarian bishops Twenty One Pilots introduced on their 2018 concept record âTrenchâ. Soon, Joseph breaks the fourth wall with the opening bars of the skittering âChokerâ. A swift walk from sofa to stage follows, where he reunites with powerhouse drummer Josh Dun to deliver the rest of the uncertain anthem. The scene quickly changes once more when hooded dancers whisk Joseph away for a hectic physical run through of âStressed Outâ atop a light-up dancefloor. Each one of these individual set-pieces is more elaborate than most livestreams weâve seen over the past year, but the band keeps the surprises coming.
Flying through twenty songs in an hour, the pair make sure every second packs a punch. New poptastic tracks âMulberry Streetâ and âThe Outsideâ are performed with all the pizzazz of Broadway with choreographed dance routines to match. Shifting the tone, acoustic renditions of âHeathensâ and âTreesâ find Joseph alone in a lifeboat with nothing but his ukulele and a starry sky for company. This quiet moment of emotional beauty is a much needed chance to catch your breath before the snarling thrash of âJumpsuitâ does its best to take it away again. Elsewhere the funk-driven âShy Awayâ sees the band take over a snowy, alfresco royal banquet. Why? Well, why not. Jumping onto the table and sending an ornate bowl flying, even Joseph canât help but smirk at how ridiculously over-the-top the whole thing is.
Normally Twenty One Pilots perform as a duo, triggering pre-recorded tracks to fill in the gaps they canât cover between them. Throughout tonightâs livestream, however, theyâre joined by an array of musicians and backing vocalists to make it as âliveâ as possible. Closing track âNever Take Itâ sees Twenty One Pilots become an 8-piece band, while the extra hands also allow for a slick mashup of âLane Boyâ, âNico and the Ninersâ and âRedecorateâ. Hopefully these extra musicians make the jump from screen to stage because Twenty One Pilots have never sounded stronger or more ambitious.
Littered with enough easter eggs to keep Twenty One Pilotâs fanbase The Clique busy theorising on Reddit for the next few weeks, the concert is a deep dive into the lore of the band. Twenty One Pilots have always been an ambitious group, and tonight really sees them push the limit on just what a livestream can be. According to the band’s management, 150 production and support staff helped to bring it to life. Taking all the lessons learnt from fifteen months of virtual gigs, theyâve served up one of the most forward-thinking shows thatâve been attempted in over a year. And with the return of proper live shows imminent, the only question remaining is what Twenty One Pilotsâ next trick will be. This is going to be very hard to top.
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