Twenty One Pilots Review
Supports: Safia
Adelaide Entertainment Centre – Arena
March 29, 2017

After their hugely successful 2016 tour of Australia and New Zealand, and a mega successful run at the national Groovin the Moo festivals, it was time for the guys from twenty one pilots to hit the arenas in Australia and New Zealand for their Emotional Roadshow World Tour.  Their Australian tour commenced with the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, but tonight, it was Adelaide’s turn to see the guys live.  Having seen them perform for the first time at Oakbank for 2016’s Groovin the Moo festival, which had totally amazed and captivated me.  The announcement of this concert was marked on my calendar and eagerly awaited.

I made my way to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on a cool rainy night where it seemed summer was finally over, but one hot night was definitely ahead for everyone inside.  I arrived to my seats just after support act SAFIA commenced their set, where a strong crowd was already evident.  SAFIA also played on the 2016 Groovin the Moo bill with Twenty One Pilots, so obviously a good impression was made, with them receiving the honour of being asked to open for them across the whole tour.  SAFIA had the crowd energised from the get go, and it was magical to see so many glowing lights around the arena during their set.

After a short break, it was time for Tyler Joseph (vocalist) and Josh Dun (drums, backing vocals) to hit the stage to a now sold out capacity crowd. Inside the arena, the crowd was now at fever pitch, as they eagerly awaited their arrival.  Finally the boys appeared on stage to rapturous applause.  They were smartly dressed in their now customary red suits, which has quickly become their trademark look when performing.

The intro was the combination of “Fairly Local / Heavydirtysoul”, and the energy on stage and around the arena was electric.  The concert was taken to another level at the completion of their third song “hometown”, when the first in a series of amazing surprises in store for fans would eventuate.  A perplexed crowd looked on anxiously as they watched Tyler (or who we thought was Tyler), draped over on stage, and with a large black towel almost covering his whole body.  Then after a few minutes he magically appeared a second later, on the upper deck amongst the crowd, only metres away from me.  The crowd completely lost it.  This was a truly memorable moment for me, and having witnessed many concerts over the years at The Entertainment Centre, it was something I had never seen before.  

The surprises didn’t end there.  At the completion of one of the later songs, there was a short break from which they suddenly appeared towards the back of the arena, spotlight shining down, and Tyler beautifully playing on a grand piano.  There would be many other magical moments and surprises ahead for us, but rather than spoil anything for the rest of the tour, all I’ll say is that the concert involves lots of interaction with the crowd.

The energy from the guys was relentless, but was nicely broken up by slower tempo songs, creating a nice ebb and flow throughout the set, and creating an opportunity for the crowd, and the guys to catch their breath every few songs.  Covers played throughout the set brought a fun element to the performance.  A special mention must be made for the visuals throughout the night, which were nothing short of stunning.

As the concert surged towards its finale, the guys made sure the crowd didn’t go home disappointed, bringing out all their big hitters one after another, including the hugely successful “Stressed Out” and “ride”. These two songs helped the guys earn five Grammy Award nominations, and to win the Grammy award for Best Pop/Duo/Group Performance earlier this year. The energy levels, atmosphere and noise, were now at maximum vibe. The Entertainment Centre was rocking.

The finale to the show was nothing short of mind blowing, and before we knew it, it was all over.  The last words of the night were left to the often cheeky but always engaging front man, Tyler Joseph.  Who made a personal promise to everyone that they would be back to our shores in 2018.  

A truly magical and emotional roadshow experience, and a must see concert in my opinion.

Twenty One Pilots continue their Australian Tour on the following dates:

March 31, Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

April 1, Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney

April 8, Perth Arena, Perth