Twenty One Pilots Deliver Fiery, Genre-Bending Set at Barclays Center (SHOW REVIEW/PHOTOS))

Twenty-One Pilots brought their Bandito Tour back to NYC, this time headlining Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on June 4th.

When the house lights dimmed, a cacophony of screams pushed like a tidal wave toward the stage. The duo of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun were greeted by a sea of shouting fans, the vast majority wearing some clothing in the band’s signature bright yellow of their current era.

Here are five things that stood out from the band’s fiery performance:

The Intense Set Pieces and Lighting

As singer Tyler Joseph emerged onstage, he hopped atop the husk of a burned-out car. Suddenly, flames leapt from the vehicle, providing the post-apocalyptic scene for heavy opener “Jumpsuit.”

Later in the set, the band crossed a catwalk to the b-stage. Overhead, a group of pulsing lights hung like upside-down lightsabers. Setting the tone for emotive tracks like “Smithereens” and “Neon Gravestones,” the lights flickered overhead to evoke everything from drizzling rain to falling stars.

A Powerful Message

Joseph delivered a life-affirming message during the transition into Trench track “Legend.”

“I wrote this song for my grandfather,” the Twenty One Pilots singer said. “He passed away last year. If he taught me one thing, it’s worth fighting to the bitter end.”

He brought this theme full circle with “Neon Gravestones” during the song’s poignant coda: “Find your grandparents or someone of age / Pay some respect for the path that they paved.”

Tyler Joseph’s Vocal Range

The lead singer deserves immense credit for his ability to transition chameleon-like through a variety of genres. Whether he was meandering through funky reggae (“Nico and the Niners”), unleashing rapid-fire raps (“Lane Boy”), delivering a falsetto (“My Blood”) or crooning through a piano ballad (“Bandito”), Joseph effortlessly bounced throughout all those sounds.

Josh Dun’s Thunderous Drum Beats

Of course, that’s not to mention Dun’s contribution to the duo. On “Pet Cheetah,” the drummer strafed back to the main stage across the catwalk. Along the way he popped open his jacket to reveal “Brooklyn N.Y.” scrawled on a white tee underneath, earning a raucous cheer from the crowd that was moshing below. As he returned to his kit, he unleashed a primal drum beat that shook the arena floor. On the following track, “Holding on to You,” Dun kicked it up a notch, joining Joseph atop his piano before he leapt into a soaring backflip.

Getting Up Close and Personal

Twenty-One Pilots ultimately delivered a master class in how two guys could captivate an arena packed to the gills with thousands, in part due to their charisma and in part due to their fearless willingness to get up close and personal with their fans.

Joseph led the audience to pump their fists in unison with every “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” on “We Don’t Believe What’s on TV.” On “Ride,” he got the crowd to stretch their arms to the sky in a moment of pure euphoria. And on “Holding on to You,” he made it to the barricade, hoisted up by the front-row fans to sing the track.

Similarly, Dun crowd surfed an entire kit above the fans on the floor in the lead up to “Car Radio.” In this interlude, he did a bit of a cover of “Seven Nation Army” that morphed into a propulsive drum solo.

For the epic end to the show, both Joseph and Dun returned to the floor, each pounding a drum for the swelling climax of “Trees.”

“Do you have one more left in you?” Joseph asked the crowd as the set drew to a close.

As a maelstrom of yellow confetti exploded out of cannons onstage, the fans’ deafening cheers and standing ovation made for a resounding “yes.”

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