If you have never heard of this band, it includes two guys, Tyler Joseph (singer, pianist, guitarist, ukulele-ist) and Josh Dun (drummer). The duo formed the band during high school in Ohio back in 2009. They have three albums: "Twenty One Pilots" (2009), "Regional at Best" (2011) and "Vessels" (2013). Twenty One Pilots remind me of a mix between Eminem and fun. The verses resemble rap while the choruses tend to be more pop. The band refers to themself as a "distinctive fusion of piano-driven schizoid pop and lyrical uplift."
The two opening acts are a little less unheard of. Hunter Hunted, formed in early 2013, are an indie pop band from Los Angeles. The members include Dan Chang and Michael Garner. They released their first EP in 2013 and have an album coming Fall 2014. NONONO are a Swedish trio with an electro-dance type of tune. Their most well-known song called "Pumpin Blood" debuted in 2013.
Ok, now I'll get to the actual concert.
The Marquee is a small venue that holds roughly 1000 people. My spot in the venue was halfway between the stage and the exit, and I had a good view of everyone in the band. The first to make an appearance was Hunter Hunted. I admit that I had never heard of this band before that night so I didn't know what to expect. Their microphone stands were wrapped in white Christmas lights and the stage was giving off a comfortable feel. The band looked at ease on stage and the crowd sang Happy Birthday to Dan. They didn't try to just play to the audience, but also have a conversation. I always find this surprising because it isn't easy trying to talk to the audience as an opening group when you know the majority of the audience is waiting for the main act. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed their sound, and I picked up their EP after the show. This is definitely a band that you can listen and chill out to.
The morning of the concert, I listened to NONONO's EP to have an idea of who else I would be seeing that night. If I'm being honest, I enjoyed Hunter Hunted's show more. NONONO didn't act or sound like they wanted to be on stage that night. Their songs sounded rushed and they didn't talk much. What I heard on their studio-recorded EP didn't sound like what I heard that night. There were on stage, played about 5 songs, and were gone.
Now to the part that everyone in the venue was waiting for. Jumping on to stage with their traditional ski masks in place, Twenty One Pilots opened their show with the song Guns for Hands. Talk about a light show. A storm of flashing lights of all colors flooded the venue and that was the theme for much of the show. Josh was stable in his seat, drumming away, while Tyler ran everywhere and anywhere on stage. The only time Tyler wasn't moving was when he was seated at his piano or when he was playing the ukulele during House of Gold. There were many memorable parts to the show but the first one that comes to mind is the dual drumming that Tyler and Josh showed off towards the end of the night. The room was black except for flashing blue lights that illuminated the two. The moment was filled with such energy and passion that it isn't easy to put into words. A second amazing moment is a special interaction with the crowd that I have never seen or heard of happening at any other concert. First they send out platforms into the crowd and it is either equipped with a small drum set or nothing at all. At one moment, Tyler was on top of the platform, singing his heart out. Another time, Josh was drumming right on top of the crowd. Unfortunately, I wasn't close enough to really touch the platform so it's difficult to describe. It's something that's hard to appreciate without seeing.
Twenty One Pilots preformed most of their Vessels album along with a couple songs from their first album. What I was happy to find out was that the duo were better live than they are in the studio. You can feel the energy and hear the emotion in Tyler's voice as he shouts the lyrics. A lot of energy was put in to the two encore songs, Car Radio and Trees. It was a great feeling to be able to listen to Car Radio live because Tyler wrote about how "sometimes silence is violent," but with their music, Twenty One Pilots gave everyone in the venue something to connect to. The night had no reason to be silent. Tyler is extremely talented with words and his speech before their final song was the perfect ending to a great show.
"Whatever's weighing you down, whatever it is
that you're going through right now;
you can use these songs,
you can use this show,
to leave it all here tonight." -Tyler Joseph
--Nikole--
