Campfires, Snow, and Crowdsurfing Ukuleles! Twenty One Pilots Bring Their A-Game To Charlotte
The Icy Tour Slides Into Spectrum Center
Over the years, the musical duo Twenty One Pilots has made a name for themself by consistently pushing their boundaries and delivering the goods. Nowhere is this more apparent than at one of their live performances. You never know what’s going to happen so expect the unexpected. Lead vocalist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun are currently wowing crowds across the country in support of their latest record Scaled and Icy. Hold on to your hats everyone! This is going to be one heck of a ride.
Opening up this spectacular evening of musical delights was singer/songwriter Peter McPoland. Raised on country and folk music, McPoland’s passion for music began at a young age and is evident the moment he hits the stage.
With a burst of energy that defies the laws of physics, McPoland is today’s version of the Energizer bunny kicking off with “Shit Show.” Soon, he is running, jumping, and sliding from one end of the stage to the other. Backed by a band of talented musicians, McPoland quickly won over the crowd with his short but oh-so-sweet set. Look for a lot more to come from Peter McPoland. In the meantime, check out his latest EP Slow Down out now via Columbia Records.
Now, it’s time for what we have all been waiting for. The excitement throughout Spectrum Center was palpable as the lights go dark. The show begins with an introductory video that whisks us away into the Scaled and Icy world of Twenty One Pilots. The duo appears via a trap door on the stage floor, donning black masks and it is officially on!
“Low-key, I’m all right.
Would you say you depend on the weather?
My sunshine
Is a buzz and a light, I’ll be singing out
I know it’s hard to believe me
It’s a good day…”
Now, I’m not going to tell you everything that happened because Twenty One Pilots put on a show that you must see live and in person to witness and experience, but, I will touch on some of the highlights. From the very beginning of the show until the very end, you are kept on the edge of your seat, so to speak, because, of course, we were all standing. The action is non-stop whether low-key or full-energy, there is always something new happening on the stage and around the venue. Some songs we got shortened versions of, some were strung together in medley form, and there was a plethora of varied intros and outros to keep things interesting.
In this first portion of the show, we had beautiful snow falling on the stage and all around the front of the crowd. Grabbing a guitar, Tyler is front and center as the snow falls around him and his masked eyes begin to smoke for what was perhaps one of the most dramatic moments of the show. He didn’t stop there. Tyler was everywhere, atop the huge Twenty One Pilots logo one minute and the next minute tearing his mask off and perching himself on his piano. At the end of “Guns for Hands,” amidst a sea of blinding lights, Tyler positions himself behind Josh’s drum kit and expertly “unmasks” him to the screams and cries of everyone around us. This first segment of the show also featured the introduction of their very talented backing band during “The Outside,” a little “Redecorate” rap during “Lane Boy” as the smoke and lights dazzled us, and a laid-back vibe for “Mulberry Street” complete with a Sesame Street type streetscape before Tyler leaves the stage to take a walk through the arena over to the “B” stage situated on the other end of the floor.
“This is the sound we make
When in between two places
Where we used to bleed
And where our blood needs to be…”
I always love when bands incorporate ways to involve the audience and allow the entire venue to get up close and personal and nobody does this better than Twenty One Pilots. A spotlight shines on Tyler as he takes a seat at the piano for a medley of tunes, taking a bit of time to chat with the crowd in between, and it is here that we experience a little bit of “Bandito” amongst other favorites including “The Judge” and “Migraine.” A ukulele makes an appearance for this part of the show and Tyler makes his way back to the main stage.
“Nice to know my kind will be on my side
I don’t believe the hype
And you know you’re a terrible sight
But you’ll be just fine
Just don’t believe the hype…”
Upon arriving at the main stage, Tyler realizes that he forgot his ukulele and asks the crowd to surf it back to him from the B stage via a giant inflatable cushion. The stage set up resembles a campsite as the band is seated around an actual campfire and we have an accordion and violin as we get two medlies of songs. This portion was simple yet breathtaking and we all needed just a bit of a break before what was to come next because there was a lot more about to go down.
“I can’t believe how much I hate
Pressures of a new place roll my way
Jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me
Jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me…”
A trumpet solo ushers in “Jumpsuit” which features enough lights, lasers, smoke, and flames to make even a seasoned rock show fan impressed. Now, up until this point, I’ve talked a lot about Tyler but what about Josh? Well, Josh was doing what he does best, killing it behind his kit for the entire show but don’t worry, it’s almost Josh’s time to shine. As we have a platform with a drum kit positioned over the top of the pit in front of the stage. As fans, held the platform in place, Josh got down to business with an excellent drum solo during a combo of “My Blood” and “Saturday” before tossing a stick into the crowd and heading back.
“Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I’m fallin’ so I’m taking my time on my ride
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I’m fallin’ so I’m taking my time on my ride
Takin’ my time on my ride…”
And what a ride it was! Before I knew it, Tyler was in the stands across the venue, singing in between the aisles during “Ride.” Then he was on the move to the other side of the venue, my side, and lo and behold, he happened to perch himself on top of a small, black riser directly next to me. For at least a little bit, I definitely had the best seat in the house. But the ride didn’t end there as he made his way through the crowd to the B stage and dove onto the inflatable cushion we saw earlier. He had the crowd surf him all the way back to the main stage and continued singing as the crowd sang along and he made rowing motions with his hands.
I told you earlier that it was going to be one heck of a ride and here we are. Back to the main stage for smoke cannons, lights, and lasers for “Shy Away” and “Car Radio” during which Tyler went back to the B stage on top of a tall platform rising high above the crowd, grabbing a guitar that was raised up to him as the audience went wild.
“All my friends are heathens, take it slow
Wait for them to ask you who you know
Please don’t make any sudden moves
You don’t know the half of the abuse…”
Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be more, an interlude plays before Tyler and Josh make another appearance wearing Skeleton masks. The fog rolls up from the floor of the stage as Josh is seen behind his kit and Tyler makes his way to the front with a guitar wearing a sequined jacket for a goose bump performance of “Heathens.” Afterward, it was a party mood the whole way with “Trees” closing out the set with brilliant imagery, plenty of smoke cannons, and a plethora of confetti. For the final moments, Josh and Tyler take to a platform on each side of the stage with a single drum on each. As the crowd holds them up in place, in unison, they fire off the smoke and confetti cannons with the pounding of the drums as flames go off at the rear of the stage and more smoke and confetti continue to unfurl until the very end. The duo bow to each other from their individual platforms before reuniting on the stage for a final bow and cheer!
Wow! This was definitely the show of the season at Spectrum Center. Twenty One Pilots proved that they are not only world-class musicians but also top-notch entertainers. But what impressed me the most, is the time they took to thank their crew, the venue staff, and the fans. Their gratitude was profound and the fact that they have remained humble despite all their success is worth more than all the confetti and smoke in the world. Kudos to Tyler and Josh! I can’t wait to do it all again next time.
