After the amazing time that I had attending two shows on the first leg of the Emotional Roadshow World Tour, I knew that I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see Twenty One Pilots get emotional once again. This show marked my fourth time seeing the duo in concert and I can honestly say that Twenty One Pilots is one of the best live bands that I have seen.
This time around the openers included Judah & the Lion and Jon Bellion. I was unfamiliar with both of these artists prior to the show, but needless to say both artists blew me away and ended the night with at least one new fan. Word of advice: Never miss the openers. You just might find your new favorite band.
Judah & the Lion took the stage first and while their original songs were amazing, I knew I was hooked when they did a T-Pain cover — complete with autotune and synchronized dance moves – that had me clutching my sides with laughter – followed by a cover of “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers that had everyone in the arena singing/screaming at the top of their lungs. Jon Bellion took the stage and filled the room with so much energy, making it impossible to stand still while watching him. While I had never heard of him prior to this tour, I still found myself singing along to his hit song, “All Time Low.”
The energy in the room shifted immediately once the “Fairly Local” intro started playing and Twenty One Pilots took the stage donning their signature ski masks. The duo’s setlist was very similar to the setlist they had on the first leg of The Emotional Roadshow, with a few adjustments. They started their set with “Heavydirtysoul” and “Migraine” before moving into “Hometown.” This is always one of my favorite moments of the show, and anyone who has attended this tour probably has an idea as to why.
The band’s B-stage set was a shorter than the previous shows that I attended, but amazing nonetheless. They played “Ode to Sleep” and “Addict With a Pen” and threw in their cover of My Chemical Romance‘s “Cancer.”
Drummer, Josh Dun, returned to the main stage and had a drum battle with himself, which was extremely entertaining and mind-blowing. Tyler Joseph welcomed the members of the opening acts back on stage to help with a medley of covers, complete with boy band choreography. It was amazing. After playing a few more songs off of both Blurryface and Vessel, they closed out the show with “Goner” and “Trees,” which are arguably two of their most emotional songs, accompanied by a drum battle between the two members.
I can’t stress how much I recommend seeing this band live. These guys manage to put on a better show than bands with twice as many members, and it almost makes you forget that there are only two people up on that stage.
