All day on the 10th all I could think about was going to the Webster Underground that evening to see Twenty One Pilots live. To be honest, I was more excited for show than prom, which was the next day.
I ran home and got ready, and flew out the door to go and get to the show, hoping time would fly by.
Luckily none of the bands on the bill sucked- Five Knives and New Politics are great and totally fit perfectly to create a gush of excitement through the hearts of every TOP fan. I was in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by mostly teenage boys talking about how stoned they were and how stoked they were and how awesome their band was and how drunk they got last weekend. Losers, but meh. I was just excited. I knew that that night was going to be groundbreaking, life-changing. I felt it in my bones.
The lights dimmed and finally the two men graced the stage. Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun were humble as ever and jumped right into “Ode To Sleep”, the opening track on their latest album, Vessel. This is one of the best songs on the album, however that could be said for every tune they write. Tyler’s voice was flawless, though quickly drowned out because I would say about 97% of the crowd knew the words. His energy was through the roof, and we all almost literally were due to our collective jumping and extraordinarily low ceilings.
“Migraine” was flawless live, and the first time I shed a tear. I know, I’m sappy and wimpy. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one though. Everyone was dancing and moving, not one person minding the immense crowd. There was no pushing or violence which is typical in the Underground and every other show. Everyone there was conscious of those around them, which was nice because I’m small and fragile. “Am I the only one I know waging my wars behind my face and above my throat” was screamed back to the band and that launched it all into overdrive. “I AM NOT AS FINE AS I SEEM” was said with such passion that I think once everyone singing along said it out loud stepped back a bit and truly realized how much TOP writes and captures what we all feel.
I absolutely lost it as “Screen”. I was really hoping they’d play it, so they fulfilled my evening once they started the piano up. It was incredible. “So while you’re doing fine, there’s some people tonight who have a really tough time getting through this life so excuse us while we sing to the sky” was the absolute best moment of the night for me personally. This is the lyric of the year, I swear. “We’re broken, we’re broken, we’re broken, we’re broken people” was a group chant and every single person in the room sang it- it was a real sense of community that really put the icing on the cake.
Both “Car Radio” and “House of Gold” were lovely, undoubtedly their two most popular tunes. These were both pretty much dance parties, which was cool because usually at shows I go to, there’s not much dancing, mostly moshing or pushing or jumping. Everyone was close and considerate, there to have a good time and eager to smile with those they made eye contact with.
Twenty One Pilots hold a special place for me, even in the relatively short time I’ve liked them. I’ve never felt more at home at a show than that evening. We’re broken people.