CORRECTION: This article was corrected on Oct. 14 at 11:50 p.m. CDT. It previously stated “Stressed Out” was released in 2011. It was released in 2015.
Nashville is renowned for its country music prestige, but Bridgestone Arena is no stranger to pop music or even alternative rock. On Oct. 9, Nashvillians got to see Twenty One Pilots return to Bridgestone Arena with singer Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun. The band formed in 2009, but the duo skyrocketed to fame in 2015 with their song “Stressed Out,” which launched them to Grammy prestige. Since then, the two have released seven studio albums with numerous gold and platinum hits. The alternative genre hasn’t been the same since Twenty One Pilots debuted, and their momentum continued with a stop in Nashville on Oct. 9 during their world tour.
The show opened with Balu Brigada, a four-member band from Auckland, New Zealand. They brought an alternative musical style reminiscent of long summer drives. Their first song of the night was “Moon Man,” which featured a head-bop tempo that is very popular today. It was the band’s first time in Nashville, and the bassist, Henry Beasley, expressed how familiar the city already felt to them.
“This is our first time here, as we have already told you, but it feels necessary to say because it feels like it’s not,” Beasley said. “So thank you for being so welcoming to us. This ultimately should have been terrifying but was very exciting.”
Henry Beasley and his brother Pierre took turns singing on the mic throughout the 30-minute set. An unreleased song was a pleasant surprise, and the band closed the night with “So Cold.” Balu Brigada brought a laid-back, down-under vibe with an alternative pop sound that could get stuck in your head for days.
The crowd roared as the opening verses of “Overcompensate” started playing. While we weren’t sure what to expect, we didn’t think Joseph and Dun would emerge from above the stage, dressed head-to-toe in black with ski masks covering their faces. But that wasn’t the only element of surprise weaved into Twenty One Pilots’ performance. In the middle of “Car Radio,” Joseph disappeared off stage, reappearing in the upper stands to finish the song for the fans in the back. Throughout the show, Joseph and Dun made several journeys into the audience — it seems safe to say that there’s no such thing as nosebleeds at a Twenty One Pilots concert.
The duo showed their appreciation for their fans several times throughout the show. During the small break between “Car Radio” and “The Judge,” a huge montage of fans singing “The Judge” was blasted on the stadium screens. At one point, Joseph even invited a younger fan onto the stage to sing the ending of “Ride” together.
Joseph also touched on his history with Nashville.
“Belmont didn’t accept me, but this show may turn my hurt feelings around,” Joseph said.“Even though we always go through our hometown in Ohio, whenever we come back here, it really feels like a second home to us, and I mean that.”
Joseph then dove into a more intimate part of the show, advising fans to sit and rest their legs while listening to Twenty One Pilots’ older songs, such as “Migraine” and “Forest.” Following the segment of their past hits, Joseph switched over to “Mulberry Street,” a newer song from the “Scaled and Icy” album. As fans whipped out their phone flashlights for the mellow tune, Joseph stopped them. Instead of having fans hold up their flashlights all at once, Joseph assigned each side of the stadium a syllable of “Mulberry Street” as a cue to shine their lights, creating a stunning wave effect.
Following the performance of “Mulberry Street,” Dun approached Joseph with a torch on fire and a black jacket, leading him back to the main stage from the back of the arena. During this walk, the crowd repeatedly chanted “Clancy,” the protagonist of the story behind Twenty One Pilots’ fourth album “Blurryface.” Once Dun and Joseph arrived on the main stage, flames lit up in the background, and the duo finished off the concert strong with some of their greatest hits, including “Heavydirtysoul” and “Stressed Out.”
Joseph and Dun are both artists and showmen, delivering a concert full of surprises. Their authenticity shines through in every song and performance, whether it’s Joseph’s signature red hat or both their ski masks. While Nashville is known for country music, Twenty One Pilots have a way of making Music City their own. Joseph and Dun show no signs of slowing down, and we can’t wait to see what stories they’ll tell next.
