Chipotle Cultivate Festival

twenty one pilots / photo: @ChipotleTweets

The only time you could find me in the sun for 9+ hours is when there is a music festival in town. Chipotle Cultivate was a free festival that included music along with Chipotle foods and ideas. Music guests included Arizona locals Jared & The Mill as well as Magic Man, Ms Mr, Bleachers and twenty one pilots. In between sets there was a chef on a different stage. There were different tents scattered around the area that taught visitors about Chipotle and when you got four out of the five stamps, you earned a free burrito. This is probably one of the greatest promotion ideas I have seen. What better way to attract people to an event than to host free performances from amazing artists, serve food and make it all family-friendly?

Within the last year, I've found a new passion for volunteering at music festivals. I signed up for the morning shift at Cultivate, and I was disappointed to find out that all the volunteers were sent to garbage cans where we had to show people how to throw away their trash (recycle, compost or landfill). Easy to say, it was not very fun. There were some upsides with volunteering though: I had a great view of the stage, I got a free (and comfy) Chipotle Cultivate t-shirt, a free meal for the day as well as four free Chipotle meals for the future. 

The day began with a performance from Jared & The Mill who did a pretty good job. I haven't heard of them before then, but they seemed to get everyone awake and energized for the rest of the day. The crowd really began to grow around the time of Magic Man's performance. Magic Man wasn't bad either. I'll be honest and say I didn't quite enjoy the DJ. The songs and remixes were outdated and they didn't fit the atmosphere of the festival. Ms Mr sounded okay, but according to Nicole (my friend/twin/future roomie), they didn't sound as good as they do in the studio.

Bleachers

After I explored the festival with Nicole and Halie, it was finally time to watch the Bleachers perform. It's been a little over a month since I last saw this group back at the Pot of Gold Festival. Their set at Cultivate felt slightly more rushed; however, they were limited to a shorter set time. All of the songs were played with great energy though, despite having to play with the glaring sun blinding them. I was thrilled to find out that the band included the saxophone vs. guitar show down in their set. It isn't a Bleachers show without a brilliant display of the saxophone.

The moment most of the crowd seemed to be waiting for was almost here. All throughout the day I saw twenty one pilots shirts everywhere I turned. I realize the duo has an impressive fanbase (aka the skeleton clique), but I didn't realize how quickly it had grown. People of all ages were supporting the band by sporting merch and had their eyes glued to the stage as soon as the clock struck 6 p.m. It actually wasn't until about 20 minutes after their scheduled start did they begin to play (my guess is that they were waiting for the sun to go down). They began the night with "Guns for Hands" and it was an incredibly special moment. Almost everyone in the crowd had their hands up making the band's traditional |-/ sign. To see such a large crowd become so united just by the sound of music coming from two guys from Ohio on stage was magical.




Twenty one pilots performed both of their new singles, "Fairly Local" and "Tear in My Heart." It was actually the very first time they had ever played the latter song live, and I can promise you they did not disappoint. The stage itself was unique in the way it was set up. The drummer, Josh Dun, was raised on a platform for everyone to see, even the people in the back. Tyler Joseph rotated from the piano to the ukulele in "House of Gold" to the microphone that was dangling from a post (much like the way he sings in the "Fairly Local" music video). The song that captivated me the most was "Tear in My Heart." I have been in love with this song since the moment I heard it. Just like in the music video, Tyler's neck and hands were covered in black. It's still a mystery why that is, but I have a feeling it plays into the role of "blurryface" and the rest of the new album. The duo played the song with a crazy amount of emotion and enthusiasm. I have no clue what to expect from the rest of this album, but I know it will be nothing less than extraordinary.

Before they began "Heart of Gold," Tyler started to sing a cover of "All I Do Is Win" and I can't find the words to describe how awesome (and funny) it is to hear that song covered by him while playing the ukulele and wearing a floral print button up.

Tyler and Josh ended the night with the song "Trees" which I always find has a deeper meaning the more you listen to it. Hearing it as the sun went down and cast this beautiful light across the crowd and the stage couldn't have been better. Of course, they couldn't end the night without doing the simultaneous drumming they do on platforms held by the crowd. It's such a unique finale that no other artist could probably even attempt to do.

It's been just under a year since I saw twenty one pilots for the first time, and they still behave as if their mission in a show is to make everyone feel connected and put on a unique performance that impresses not only the people up against the barricade, but also the people who may have never heard of them before. I won't be surprised if this band one day rules the world. I'm already looking forward to the next time I see them, which hopefully isn't too far into the future.

Until next time,
Nikole

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Twenty One Pilots Concert // Tempe, Arizona

    On May 7 I went to the the Twenty One Pilots concert at the Marquee Theater in Tempe, Arizona. The opening acts included Hunter Hunted and NONONO.
    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

When they took their final bows, the smiles on their faces were brighter than the light show. You could tell that they were at home on stage.


--Nikole--