On Tour: Twenty-One Pilots

BY: PROVOKR Staff

Rolling Stone declared Twenty-One Pilots—the duo of Ohio natives Tyler Joseph (singer) and Josh Dun (drummer)—the “biggest new band” of 2015. But it actually wasn’t until early 2016 that the band’s single “Stressed Out” from their Blurryface album became a hit on pop radio. Blurryface is a concept album based on a character Joseph created as the embodiment of his insecurities. “I don’t love the way I look,” said Joseph. “We all know what we’re insecure about. The question I had as I was writing was, ‘How are these things affecting the way I live?’A lot of things you do to cover up insecurities can be just as harmful to you as anything else. This character helped me understand my insecurities and why I have them and how I compensate for them.” When he’s not staring down his demons, Joseph sits down with Dun to create the staggeringly eclectic mix of songs—from EDM to rap to rock (like the single “Heathens” that appears as part of the upcoming Suicide Squad soundtrack)—the group puts on its albums and rocks out to during their current Emotional Road Show Tour. Known for their quirky stage costumes (balaclavas and suit coats), manic stunts (at one point Joseph climbs into an enormous red ball) and stellar light show, Twenty-One Pilots definitely knows how to entertain a live crowd as you can see in this footage from one of their concerts.