What can I say, when I heard Twenty One Pilots was going on tour, and kicking it off in Denver with a takeover, I knew I had to go. They are one of those bands that I know a lot of songs from. In fact, in the week leading up to the show, while I was listening to their setlist, there were songs I knew but hadn’t realized were from them! When the shows were announced, the tickets were only going to be sold through a lottery, you entered and were given one of four nights to buy tickets for. The shows started at a small venue and then went up to Ball Arena, which holds 20,000 people. To enter the lottery for tickets, you had to join the fan club, which I didn’t now, so I waited. Unfortunately, this meant I wasn’t able to buy tickets until after the tickets went on sale and I was forced to buy resale tickets. This also meant I was only able to find tickets for Ball Arena, but I would have preferred to see them at one of the smaller venues in town. However, I was able to get a couple of seats for Saturday’s show at Ball Arena.
Our seats ended up being on the side of the stage, at the very top of the nosebleed section- we were in the very last row. I think the only other time I’ve been that high for a show was when I saw Bruce Springsteen with my dad. It was quite the change from our usual front row spot, but I was excited for the show!
With COVID restrictions still in place, Jess and I had to get negative COVID tests within 72 hours of the show or we wouldn’t be able to enter. We got our COVID tests on Friday, which were negative, so we were super excited to get to the show.
While I normally like to get to shows early, with us having seats, we didn’t want to get there super early. We left home about two hours before doors opened, thinking it would give us plenty of time to get to the venue and find our seats. Nope! We hit more traffic than we thought we would, and we saw an accident happen! We finally got to the venue around 6:30 pm and it was so nice to be back at Ball Arena! I haven’t seen a show there since 2019, when I saw Tool. The venue was packed, so we ended up parking in the overflow low. I was shocked! There was even a line to get into the venue, much longer than any line I’ve ever seen at Ball Arena! I left Jess at that line, while I went to search for other lines. I finally was able to find one, so I called Jess over to join me. However, once she got there, I realized I left my mask in the car, so I had to run back to get it. Once I got back, Jess was almost up to the first check point, where they were matching IDs to vaccination cards or negative tests. After that, we were in line to get into the doors and through security! That line was much more like the ones I’ve been used to being in.
After security, we headed up to the top level, level 300, to get to our seats! The opening band must have been delayed due to how long it was taking people to get in. I didn’t catch their name, but they only played about four songs. I think I had heard one of their songs before, but I wasn’t sure. They did a really great job of warming up the crowd! It seemed that a lot of people at the show knew this band and their songs. The next band was also really good, but I didn’t catch their name either. I think I recognized one or two of their songs, but I couldn’t be sure. Overall, both bands did a really great job of getting the crowd warmed up!
While we were waiting for Twenty One Pilots, we decided to go out to the smoking section and smoke a bowl. However, while we tried, we were told that they no longer had smoking sections at Ball Arena. I was a little shocked, but I’m sure this was because of COVID restrictions. So, we made our way back to our seats and waited until the band started!
Twenty One Pilots did not take the stage from behind the stage. Instead, they entered the venue from the back of the arena and walked all the way to the stage. Each one took one side of the arena. They walked up with masks on, so it wasn’t clear who they were, or at least to me anyways! Once they got to the stage, the drummer walked up to his drums and the singer walked behind this huge curtain. From where we were sitting, we could see him the whole time, but he was hidden from the majority of the crowd. Then the curtain dropped, and he came jumping out! He walked to the edge of the stage and jumped off! I thought he was stage diving at first, but he actually jumped onto this huge air thing.
For there just being two members in the band, they had the crowd pumped! The singer jumped all over the stage, on top of and off the piano, and just going crazy! People all the way up in our section were standing up and screaming! All the way down in the pit you could see people jumping and you could clearly hear them screaming as well! The band played several songs just the two of them before bringing out others o they were a full band with keyboards, guitars, and a trumpet! About midway through the show, they tried to create a campfire vibe where they played acoustically! At another point, they played on a mini stage located at the other end of the arena. When the singer introduced the rest of the band, he handed the microphone over to the drummer. Who then left his drum set and walked towards the front of he stage, like he was going to talk to everyone, but instead, he got on a drumkit being held up by fans in the pit! He played a quick drum solo, which was really cool!
Altogether, Twenty One Pilots played over twenty songs, with two for their encore. I was not disappointed by this show! I would have much rather been down in the pit, but it was still a great performance. If I have the chance to see Twenty One Pilots again, which I hope I do, I will be down in the pit!
Be sure to check out videos from this show and others on my YouTube channel!
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