Written by Andre La Crout.
There was no question as to what was happening at The Forum in Inglewood, California, the night of October 2nd, 2021. Bright pink and blue lights bathed the outside of the arena, with “TØP TAKEOVER” projected along the top. Columns had song lyrics printed at the bottom, where many fans posed for pictures in front of their favorites. The stage was set for the grand finale of the California part of the twenty one pilots Takeover Tour.
Arrested Youth and half-alive were well-chosen openers to tease the 17,000+ fans awaiting the main act. Arrested Youth featured relatable themes of overcoming personal pain and finding hope. half-alive amped up the visual theatrics with active lighting and elaborate choreography.
When it was time for twenty one pilots to take the stage, a series of short videos displayed venues from previous shows in their California tour. The videos ended with a shot of The Forum, a message to fans that it was their turn and they were in for a good time.
At the video’s conclusion, two figures emerged from opposite sides of the back end of the arena wearing white suits and black ski masks. The figures took slow, deliberate steps around the pit toward the stage. It could have been anyone under those suits and masks, but everyone knew it was Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun.
The two took the stage, stood side by side in silence, before making their way to the piano and drum set. Without a word, they burst into “Good Day,” the opening number from Scaled and Icy, released in May 2021.
Drummer Josh Dun was noticeably stiff and robotic during the opening song. This was a sharp contrast from his usual animated style of fluid, dance-like movements. A keen eye with knowledge of the stories embedded within twenty one pilots music might suspect he’s under the control of the bishops of Dema—especially since the song was followed by a Dema commercial featuring zombified people talking about how they can’t escape.
One thing that’s a guarantee at any twenty one pilots show is that you’ll hear versions of songs that are different from what you’ll hear on their albums. The band’s second number presented the first major departure from studio music, as singer Tyler Joseph played an acoustic guitar for the chorus of “No Chances.”
Another guarantee at any twenty one pilots show is a variety of stunts. The end of “No Chances” brought on the first major stunts, as the eyes of their ski masks began to smoke. The duo stood silent with masks smoking for a few seconds before Joseph leapt off stage.
When he returned, he donned a throwback red beanie before diving into “Stressed Out,” one of the hit songs of their breakthrough 2015 album, Blurryface. Then the duo turned the clock back even farther, beginning “Migraine” from their major-label debut album Vessel. The screen behind them displayed the eight-year-old album cover.
The crowd at The Forum had been singing along to every song so far, but “Migraine” was the first time Joseph let fans take the lead. The entire arena rapped most of the first verse. Joseph kept fan involvement going as they transitioned to “Morph” off their 2018 album Trench. They returned to Vessel for “Holding on to You,” with elaborate waterfall effects on the screens behind them.
The stage then went dark with a spotlight on Joseph, who returned to the piano. He played a few slow notes before telling the crowd he likes to “fool around” and “create something” at this point in the show. He introduced the next song as about “a group of people who kind of creep me out,” then began a version of “Heathens.” It started acoustic before Dun and the backing band joined in with a raucous performance that had audience hands bobbing up and down to the beat.
The backing band then made their presence fully known with a long, jazzy instrumental introduction to “The Outside.” Crowd involvement and elaborate visual effects continued through performances of “Message Man” and “Lane Boy,” with green lasers sweeping the arena, clouds of smoke, and even someone in a hazmat suit.
Perhaps the hazmat suit was an indirect introduction of the band’s next song: “Chlorine.” Devout fans noticed and appreciated the appearance of Ned in the background, a character introduced in the song’s music video.
Some bands get up on stage and just play. Perhaps there are a few planned effects with lighting, but otherwise a concert is a jam session. Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun do not lead that type of band. It is evident from beginning to end that every show is a meticulously planned work of art.
And they want everyone present involved in creating that art.
This includes the backing band, who were there to do more than provide supporting sounds in the background. No, it was clear they were also stars of the show in perfect sync with Joseph and Dun. They timed their notes to match each step Joseph took during the intro to “Mulberry Street.”
Joseph entered the pit in the middle of “Mulberry Street” and made his way to an island stage positioned near the middle. He then divided the arena for the bridge, with one half singing “Mulberry Street” and the other half singing “so good to see you.”
Joseph remained on the island for the next song while the main stage went dark. He then played “Redecorate,” the final song of Scaled and Icy, by himself. No Dun on drums, no backing band, just Tyler Joseph singing and playing piano and percussion on a MIDI pad. Sometimes he even played bass too.
A trumpet solo and Halo theme song gave Joseph time to return to the main stage for “Jumpsuit.” Drummer Josh Dun changed into a Trench-era Bandito outfit for the occasion, face half-covered by a yellow bandana.
The band then ripped through “heavydirtysoul” and “Never Take It,” with confetti, guitar solos, and the crowd singing choruses while Joseph played a tambourine.
Joseph, Dun, and the backing band then gathered around a literal fire in the middle of the stage. The screen behind them displayed a starlit background. Joseph welcomed the crowd to their “campfire” and said he didn’t want the show to end. The audience agreed.
The campfire featured a few acoustic medleys with Joseph playing a ukulele. The medleys included popular songs like “Tear in My Heart” and “House of Gold,” along with covers of “I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash, “My Girl” by The Temptations, and “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
The campfire was put out and the acoustic set ended as Joseph teased the crowd: “What day is it today? Is it Monday?”
It was Saturday, of course, and time for the band to play the song named after everyone’s favorite day of the week. Joseph took a moment in the middle of the song to introduce all the members of the band. Each one responded with a little solo on guitar, bass, trumpet, and keyboard.
Joseph introduced Josh Dun last, who had been making his way to his “drum island”—a platform with a drum set held up by the crowd. Dun then gave his drums the most passionate pounding of the night as “Saturday” continued.
The band then covered “Low Rider” by War to give Dun time to return to the stage, before diving into “Level of Concern” and “Ride.”
Blue lasers swept the arena as they began “Car Radio,” the signature twenty one pilots finale song. The crowd sang much of the song while Joseph left the stage, ran through the pit, and climbed a tower at the far side of the arena. He saluted fans in all directions, with special attention to these ones who had been so far away from him for most of the night. The end of the song bathed the arena in darkness.
The crowd was not ready for the show to be over, however. Cell phone flashlights emerged from people’s pockets and were held high while the audience continued to sing the bridge of “Car Radio.”
The call for an encore was answered quickly. The stage was still dark, but there were sounds of guitar, drums, and piano heard through the black. The sounds amplified until the band burst into “Shy Away,” with a brief cover of “I’m Not Okay” by My Chemical Romance mixed in.
Joseph and Dun were notably dressed in skeleton outfits for the song. A casual observer may see it as a simple wardrobe change, maybe a subtle shoutout to the fanbase known as “The Skeleton Clique.” An analytical eye, however, might see it as a physical demonstration of the metaphor within the song: “Shed your modesty / And the only thing to leave behind / Is your own skin on the floor.”
Joseph and Dun were in skeleton outfits because they left their skin on the floor. They molted, just like spiders or Trash the dragon would. Themes of rebellion and growth are interwoven throughout much of twenty one pilots music. The show at The Forum was another story about rebellion and growth. It started with the stiff, robotic movements of “Good Day” and ending with shed skin for “Shy Away,” a song encouraging fans to shed theirs too.
“Did we do okay?” Joseph asked the crowd at the end of the song.
Of course they did, the crowd roared.
“It’s not lost on us how special it is for us to be up on this stage tonight,” Joseph continued. “There was a moment where I seriously thought we would never get back up here on this stage.”
It was an emotional moment where he noted that the “mountaintop feels so much better” now that we’re able to share nights like these again.
Joseph then delivered many “thank yous,” to the opening acts, his crew, and everyone who made the show possible. He said this was his third time headlining The Forum and that “this one wiped the floor with the others” before the duo began to play “Trees.”
If you venture into any online forum or comment thread discussing twenty one pilots, you will see many people literally saying that the duo’s music is the only reason they’re still alive. You may even see memes of one hand grasping another as if to pull someone up, with the helping hand labelled “twenty one pilots” and the other hand “me.”
During the performance of “Trees,” this was demonstrated by an image of a large tree on the screen in the background with branches that seemed to be reaching out to the crowd. Toward the end of the song, the duo turned the metaphor literal as they descended to small platforms over the pit to grasp hands and help throw confetti that was now showering the arena.
“We’re twenty one pilots and so are you. See you next time,” Joseph finished and that was it. The molting was complete and 17,000+ fans left their skins on the floor of The Forum in Inglewood, California.