Bear Hands and Twenty One Pilots
Barclays Center // New York, NY // June 4th, 2019
Photos and review by Jess Williams
I’ll start this off by saying that if you know anything about me, you know that twenty one pilots are at the core of my being. They have been my favorite band since the beginning and for the longest time I have lived my life by them. I live, breathe, eat and sleep twenty one pilots, so when I found out I was going to be celebrating my 20th twenty one pilots show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Tuesday night, I was ecstatic.
Like with any twenty one pilots show, fans were surrounding the venue, camping out days before the show even started — just to get that sweet front row spot for a shot at holding up Tyler or Josh. Donned in their Trench costumes of black t shirts layered with camo and yellow tape, fans started pouring into downtown Brooklyn’s premiere arena. The opening band, Bear Hands, took the stage at 7:15 on the dot for what would end up being their largest hometown show to date. The Brooklyn natives played a lengthy set that featured their hit songs “Bone Digger” and “Backseat Driver (Spirit Guide).”
Not before long, the infamous twenty one pilots black curtain was lifted in front of the stage. The crew began to switch the stage while the notable ambient music that is always played between sets at the twenty one pilots concerts, began playing throughout the arena. What has become a tradition at every twenty one pilots show is the arena-wide wave that happens as the crowd waits for the show to start and Tuesday night’s show was no different. I was standing in the photo pit, looking out into the jam packed arena as the wave circled around the venue about 5 or 6 times before dying out. It was getting close to showtime and the fans could tell. They began chanting for the band to take the stage and it was almost as if Tyler and Josh heard them and listened because the arena instantly went black.
Screams erupted throughout the venue and the black sheet dropped. A burst of air shot forward and Josh Dun emerged into the center of the stage. He was wearing his Trench hoodie and bandana accompanied with a fire torch that he walked across the stage as the “Heavydirtysoul” car rose from underneath the stage. Tyler, showered in the pyro that was shooting out from the car, grabbed his bass and hopped off the roof of the car and instantly into “Jumpsuit.” For the first moments of the show, it was nearly impossible to hear Tyler’s voice over those of the fans singing along with him, chills went down my entire spine.
The visuals that twenty one pilots bring to their show are what make them one of the most unique shows in this day and age. The impeccable lighting design and set design, including the bridge above the crowd during “Pet Cheetah” and the fluctuating drum riser that Josh Dun sat atop during the show. One thing that I love the most about twenty one pilots is there impeccable stage presence. Tyler’s ability to connect with the crowd both literally and metaphorically through his infectious smiles and climbing into the crowd and Josh’s extreme drumming talent as he drummed on top of the crowd, is what really sets twenty one pilots apart from all the rest.
I have been seeing this band for six years and this show marked show number twenty for me. Every time I am constantly blown away and amazed by what twenty one pilots manage to pull off. Watching Tyler shout the lyrics to “Car Radio” from his small platform at the back of the arena at the conclusion of the show always brings back a nostalgic feeling for the days when I used to hold him up during “Holding Onto You” in smaller 500 capacity venues. That being said, watching the trajectory of these guys and the hard work that they have put into their careers, paying off, I could not be more proud.
The night came to a powerful close with Tyler and Josh holding the original (|-/) logo on their hands before Tyler said “We are twenty one pilots and so are you.”
