Concert Review: Twenty One Pilots Rock Oakland

By Jessica Esquibel

Editor-in-Chief

Don’t you hate it when you ask your friends if they know a certain music artist and they’re completely clueless? That’s how I feel when I ask people about Twenty One Pilots. They’re the Leonardo DeCaprio of the music world, yet the band sold out two shows in Oakland this weekend and I had the pleasure of going to one of them.

Before I get into the experience, I will give you a short background on the band. Tyler Joseph is the lead singer/rapper, notorious for his fast raps and unique voice. Joshua Dun, or Josh, is greatly credited for his skills on the drums, and occasionally the trumpet. I like to describe their music as fearless, because they literally put anything together and it sounds really well.

It’s hard to assign a genre to them because they encounter so many through their albums and EP’s. The band themselves don’t like to put a label on it. In an interview with MTV Tyler Joseph describes their music as, “The songs you’ve been wanting to hear your whole life.” This is totally biased, but it’s true. Twenty One Pilots hit number one on the Billboard charts and had an amazing performance on the VMA’s, which pretty much proves they’re a force to be reckoned with.

When I got to the venue at 9AM there were people already lined up. I’d estimate at least fifty people were there, camping out. They had blankets, tents, pajamas on, and coffee’s in their hands. This whole tour fans have been camping out, but I was surprised to see such a good amount of people out here in Oakland.

Waiting in line isn’t usually fun, unless  you’re waiting in line at a Twenty One Pilots concert. At first it was quiet, not much chit chatter, just quiet conversations. It later escalated when more fans joined the line. The generosity among the fans was heartwarming. A group of girls went to Taco Bell and bought two 12 packs of tacos to hand out to fans. Another two girls passed out lollipops to everyone. The girl sitting next to me handed out glow sticks. Before we were let inside a fan went across the street to the top of the building, waving a Twenty One Pilots flag, getting the crowd hyped.

Finally, it was time to be let inside. Since I had been waiting since 9AM, I had a really great spot. The show started a little late but the crowd didn’t seem to mind. They were singing snippets of popular Twenty One Pilots songs before the first band, Finish Ticket, came out.

Finish Ticket are actually from here in Alameda, so it was cool to see a band from the Bay Area get some recognition. I didn’t know what to expect when they walked on stage, but the vibes they gave off were strong. After the first song, they definitely had my attention. Everything worked so well together, the melodies and beats were great. The lead singer that I now know as Brendan Hoye was brilliant. They did a great job of getting the crowd warmed up for what was to come.

Echosmith was the second band to open up for Twenty One Pilots. I already seen them live before so I was excited to see how they changed up their set. They’re more known for their hit song Cool Kids which is every outcasts’ favorite song. Their song Bright has also been hitting the airwaves lately. I was not disappointed with their performance at all. The only part that upset me was that Jamie, the guitarist was sick so he couldn’t be there. Other than that, it was a really great performance.

As soon as Echosmith’s set ended, chaos began to happen. There was pushing and shoving. I was only two people away from the barrier so I was quite annoyed. About a dozen people had to be taken out either because they were getting claustrophobic, scared, or passed out. Fans in the pit were good at getting people out in a orderly manner. No one panicked and it was quick. Unfortunately, a fan threw up causing the floor to stink for a while, but that passed.

As the crew was setting up the stage for Twenty One Pilots, one of the crew members informed us that we would be filmed for a live DVD. That made the crowd even more enthusiastic about the whole experience. We weren’t given any specific rules other than to go crazy and have fun. The only specific rule was not to hold up signs.

The lights finally dimmed and screams erupted the room. Twenty One Pilots started off with one of their fastest songs, Heavy Dirty Soul, one of my personal favorites. I didn’t hear silence throughout the whole concert. One of my favorite parts was when the whole crowd rapped, rapped, not sang, the first verse of Migraine. One thing Tyler and Josh love to do is interact with the crowd.

Every time they perform Holding Onto You, Tyler gets into the crowd to rap the first verse. Luckily, I was right beneath him when he came onto the crowd. It was an exhilarating feeling. Later on in the set for their song Ride, a small drumming platform was put over the crowd to hold up for Josh to play on. I was one of those people holding up the platform. At first I was a little worried because it was slightly heavy, but more people helped as Josh climbed on. As he hit the drums the vibrations could be felt. Towards the end of the show when they played Car Radio, Tyler disappeared from the stage to join everyone else on the balcony.

He sang the rest of the song up there. The finale was amazing. They sang an old song, Trees. Before that Tyler gave a little speech that pulled at my heart strings.

Just when I thought they were done coming into the crowd, they did. Tyler was on the right side while Josh was on the left. The crowd carried them on smaller platforms and held their drums as well. Once they began their drum solos confetti burst all over the room. It was a breath taking sight. When they got back on stage they stood there for a good five minutes, taking in the well deserved applause.

Even though they are only two guys, they sure do know how to put on an unforgettable show for their fans.