CONCERT STORIES: TWENTY ONE PILOTS: WHEN THE CROWD AND THE BAND HAVE EACH OTHER'S BACKS

August 26, 2022; concert #6 of the year; feeling exhausted despite being on vacation the whole summer. Am I excited? Yes, but considerably tired. I am even more excited for my friend CInthia (shoutout to her, she is one of my favourite human beings ever) as she is about to finally witness the absolute greatness of a Twenty One Pilots concert for the first time. Tonight is only her second show ever; I just know that she will leave the Bell Centre a changed person (look at me being dramatic, I love it). If you want to somewhat feel like you were there with Cinthia and me, please keep reading.

Tour poster shown on screens of the Bell Centre

Unfortunately, the evening starts on a somewhat frustrating note. As we walked inside the venue, we could hear loud instruments and a male singer shouting. Shit, are we late for the opening act? I have always cared about the concert experience as a whole. Consequently, I have made it my duty to constantly arrive on time to catch every band featured on the bill. Who knows? I could fall in love with music I had never heard before. Concertgoers: have you ever dealt with set times issues? Yes? Me too. More than once. Peter McPoland had already started performing even though the show was scheduled for 8 pm. I do not find it fair for fans or performers to start a concert 30-45 minutes before the time printed on the ticket (and advertised on every website and social media platform). I was not going to let that unexpected inconvenience ruin our night. 

About two songs in, I realized tonight was going to be truly special. Tyler Joseph (along with Billie Joe Armstrong and Hayley Williams) has to be the best front person when it comes to crowd control; he knows exactly how to make sure every person (even random dudes who were dragged by their girlfriend to the show) in the room will care. Throughout the night, on various occasions, Tyler did not even need to say a word; the crowd knew way too well when to clap and when to sing louder  and proudly every single word back to him. It felt like an unspoken consensus; the crowd had Tyler and Josh's backs. It was clear that our boys were also there for us by offering what I consider to be their best performance in Montreal to this date. Tyler did not hesitate to stop performing when he noticed that a fan in the pit needed assistance showing how safety must always prevail. 

I do not think I will ever get tired of hearing "Car Radio"  live 

I literally had chills at least twice during the show. Was it the exhaustion or the undeniable brilliance of the moments I had the chance to experience? I would say both! I could write in great and vivid detail numerous instances during which I felt genuinely happy and lucky to be at the Bell Centre that night. There is something about a Twenty One Pilots concert; each time feels happily familiar yet unique. The whole campfire portion of the concert was the real show-stopper to me; it felt personal yet bigger than all of us. It is no secret; the most dedicated fans can also grow sick of hearing certain songs. However, I do not believe taking a song out of the setlist forever is necessarily the solution. Tyler and Josh showed all of us how they are masters at finding ways to breathe new life into tracks that are now considered staples of the duo's discography. For instance, the boys offered us a stripped-down version of Tear in My Heart that made me question if I preferred the original version or this refreshing stripped-down better. In my opinion, the duality of the moment made this new version memorable. On a musical level, it was quieter than the studio version; however, it did not prevent anyone from screaming in unison the unforgettable line: "the songs on the radio are okay but my taste in music is your face!" I could not stop myself from smiling. 

"Car Radio", is an obvious fan favorite and arguably remains one of Twenty One Pilots' most thrilling songs to experience in a live setting; from being on the verge of crying to jumping like you are trying to reach the ceiling of the goddamn arena; you are in for a wild ride. Yes, we jumped and risked destroying our knees because of the row of seats in front of us. (I did hit my knee at the Bell Centre before during a Bastille concert) Welcome to arena shows! (Not to be that person but ewwww, smaller venues FTW). 

As it has been the case for every Twenty One Pilots concert I have ever had the chance to attend, Tyler and Josh's energy was infectious as hell. However, their high energy level was not the only thing they were able to transmit to us; we could easily sense their pure happiness. "Man, I love this show!" (See clip below) I felt that! Yes, Tyler, I agree. Tonight is not so bad (this is my way of expressing that the show was fantastic). In that instance, my smile was most likely bigger than my vinyl collection (or my CD collection). Wow, was that corny or what? I do not give a shit! I am not erasing that sentence. 

The joy in Tyler's voice

Furthermore, I have always admired Twenty One Pilots' rigorous and consistent attention to detail. It seems like Tyler will never cease to wear his famous red beanie every time they play their massive hit "Stressed Out". It may seem like nothing to you, but to us Clique members, the beanie shall remain iconic forever. I was also delighted when I learned that they would be using confetti shaped like Ned (see picture below), the adorable character featured in the music video for their track Chlorine. I cannot write this article without mentioning the moment Tyler came into the stands and quite close to us as the band performed their insanely popular song "Ride". One word: UNREAL. I will also vividly remember for a long time when Tyler, Josh, and every member of their touring band completely froze for a few seconds before jumping into the last chorus of "Shy Away". 

Keeping this forever..

Seconds following the end of Twenty One Pilots' breathtaking performance, Cinthia looked at me and said: "That was phenomenal!" I could tell she genuinely meant it. I could only agree. What a night!! I could without a doubt pick out more incredible moments and describe them in great detail, but who has time for that? As usual, I hope reading this article has brought you at least a little bit of happiness or made you discover new music. As famous as they are, I know some people remain unaware of Twenty One Pilots' fascinating existence.  

Tyler was not far from us

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for taking time!!!

(Once again)Your elder emo, tired and sore but somehow still capable concert goer, 

Ariane