Believe The Hype: Twenty One Pilots Dominates

Twenty One Pilots returned to the Twin Cities on the latest leg of their Bandito Tour. Nearly one year ago, the duo brought this same tour to the Xcel Energy Center, for which I also wrote a review. But make no mistake, this leg of the Bandito Tour is an entirely different experience. 

Last year when I wrote about their show, I mentioned that their new album and performance reignited my love for the band. Since then, I’ve listened to Trench multiple times, and have fallen deep into the fandom. Twenty One Pilots played even more songs off of Trench, including some that were left out from last year, helping make this show was a true masterpiece. 

They opened with “Jumpsuit” and “Levitate,” featuring signature burning car and all, and I was surprised to hear the return of “HeavyDirtySoul,” which was met with thunderous applause. Following that, a video played featuring footage of Minnesota fans taken earlier in the day. 

Fans lined up at 5 am for this show. The devotion and love people have for this band is like no other. The community built around Twenty One Pilots is powerful; the fans are just as much a part of the concert as Tyler and Josh. 

Not going to lie: I cried during “The Hype.” In fact, I nearly cried a couple of times. The lyrics are mesmerizing, and each song takes a totally new shape in a live setting. If there is a Twenty One Pilots song you aren’t super into, I promise you their live version of it will change your mind. 

As a long time fan of the band, hearing deep cuts in an arena setting is always a highlight. Tyler Joseph dug deep into his back catalog and performed “Fall Away,” a track from their self-titled album. Additionally, they brought back “Migraine,” which is one of my all-time favorite tracks. 

The highlight of the night occurred following the end of “Car Radio.” The audience continued singing after the band left the stage. This transitioned flawlessly into an audience karaoke for “Truce.” It was one of the most beautiful concert moments I’ve seen. 

I need to make a joke though: following the band urging us to “stay alive,” they sang about drinking chlorine. That sort of negates the point (I am not funny). 

Opening the night was MisterWives. This was my second time seeing them live and I absolutely adore them. With adorable energy from lead singer Mandy Lee and on-point musicianship from the entire band, they proved to be the quintessential opening act. 

Treating the audience to some new tracks from their upcoming album, the group tried to cultivate a “Wizard of Oz” theme with pre-recorded samples from the classic movie. Their stand out new song, “Why Why Why,” had the entire crowd on their feet. 

MisterWives is the personification of pure joy. My favorite song they performed was “Coloring Outside The Lines,” which had me smiling ear to ear. They closed their set with crowd-pleaser “Our Own House” and returned to accompany Twenty One Pilots on “Cut My Lip.”

Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun have built their fanbase by hand over the course of a decade. Their hard work shines at their live shows. Piano jumps, crowd surfing drum kits, and bursts of passion- Twenty One Pilots put on the best live show out there. 

Going into this review, I feared it would be hard to write for a tour I covered last year. But with the new additions to the setlist and a true love for the work they do, Twenty One Pilots achieved their best Minnesota show to date. 

Tyler Joseph has a kid on the way, and even dedicated a song to his unborn baby. It could be a hot second until they come back to town and I can’t wait. Believe the hype, Twenty One Pilots are the best out there.

Setlist

1. Jumpsuit
2. Levitate
3. HeavyDirtySoul
4. The Hype
5. Lane Boy
6. Stressed Out
7. Heathens
8. Nico and the Niners
9. Smithereens
10. Migraine
11. Tear in My Heart
12. Bandito
13. Pet Cheetah
14. Holding on to You
15. Fall Away
16. Cut My Lip with MisterWives
17. Ride
18. My Blood
19. Morph
20. Car Radio
21. Truce
22. Chlorine
23. Trees