Glasgow, OVO Hydro, 05/05/25
“What’s your ETA?” asks the pre-recorded message emanating over the speakers, met immediately by a knowing chorus of 14,000 people shouting “TWO MINUTES”. And of course, such is Scottish tradition, the rowdy chants of “here we fucking go’” follow shortly behind. The message is clear – after six years away, Glasgow is more than ready for the return of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun.
Beforehand, the evening gets underway with an energising set from New Zealand’s Balu Brigada, their upbeat, fuzzy, indie alt-pop proving to be a hit with the clique members on the dancefloor, brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley confidently stalking each side of the stage and converting many into new fans by the time we reach The Strokes-esque closer ‘So Cold’.
With the stage set, a red curtain falls as Josh’s frantic drumming comes to life over the opening bars of ‘Overcompensate’, Tyler soon joining him as the masked figure leaps on to the stage before almost immediately and enthusiastically diving into the crowd. Theatrics abound as an updated and even smarter version of Joseph’s previous ‘disappearing man’ trick is employed through ‘Car Radio’, elevating him to the rafters in time for the final chorus in a stunt that left many audience members in disbelief.
“This is it. Just us for the rest of the night, alright? Let’s see what we can accomplish together.”
Joseph’s words are applicable to both the stripped back nature of their musical setup tonight, with Dun taking on keys for a beautiful ‘The Craving’ in a style almost akin to their celebrated ‘MTV Unplugged’ show, as well as their continued close relationship with their audience, a short video played before ‘The Judge’ perfectly showcasing the ever-growing community that has always been the lifeblood behind the band.
‘Heathens’ bleeds into a ferocious ‘Next Semester’, before the pair make their way to their two respective b-stages, Joseph delivering a delicate piano rendition of recent single ‘The Line’ as phone lights spontaneously sparkle in waves across the room. Newer ‘Clancy’ cuts ‘Backslide’ and ‘Lavish’ are greeted with similar levels of enthusiasm as the frenetic ‘Heavydirtysoul’, passionate ‘Tear In My Heart’ and ‘Scaled And Icy’ highlights ‘Mulberry Street’ and ‘Shy Away’.
But perhaps the key element of any Pilots show is the intricate storytelling and as Josh Dun lights the way with his flaming torch in hand, we are transported back to Trench, the stage turned into a towering and imposing metropolis via the giant engulfing video screens. ‘Navigating’ and ‘Nico And The Niners’ prime us for a set closing ‘Paladin Strait’ and a look back on the expertly woven narrative this band have managed to stretch across four albums. Though the story may be fictional, the growth of the central character and their newly found strength and ability to overcome adversity is a theme and message clearly felt by the thousands gathered here tonight.
With the traditional ‘Trees’ bringing the encore and the night to a close, the band finish proceedings stood right in the centre of their adoring crowd, getting up close and personal as those final drums pound out in unison. It is these little touches and interactions that make nights like these so special. Whether it is welcoming a young man named Samuel on stage to perform ‘Ride’ or taking the time to fist bump and high-five nearly every member of the crowd as they pass through, the feeling of togetherness is best summed up by the young girl shown in the earlier fan video, who describes how amazing it has been “to meet all these people who I have a special connection with even though we’ve never met before.” A casual reminder that, as the motto goes, they are Twenty One Pilots and so are you.
Content shared from rocksound.tv.