It’s energising to see an arena packed from early doors. Then again, these are twenty one pilots fans we’re talking about. Endless Mexican waves are shattered by screams when Overcompensate announces itself, although it gets off to a wobbly start as Tyler warms into his flow. To be fair, he’s probably recovering from his kangaroo-like leap over the piano, which becomes his playground for the evening (Josh promptly gets in on the act with a backflip).
The show hurries along with pace and purpose, before The Judge and Tear In My Heart allow the faithful to soak in some euphoria. Heathens joins up with Next Semester like the two have always been cousins, with the latter unlocking an unbelievable balance between grit and entertainment, while Tyler momentarily jogs on the spot like an instructor at the arena’s group fitness class.
After some B-stage cuts satisfy the duo’s itch to spend as much time in the crowd as possible, Josh guides Tyler back to the stage, flaming torch in hand, donning those signature khaki and yellow overalls. The explosion of bass that is Navigating tees up Nico And The Niners and My Blood, played out like the greatest hits they have become. Welcome back to Trench, indeed.
With all eyes on Tyler and Josh – and their ever-changing whereabouts – the production takes something of a backseat. Nevertheless, over the course of this 27-song marathon, there is enough well-rehearsed stagecraft to keep the faithful engaged. Extremely vocal but fairly temperate throughout the night, unless prompted by Tyler, Jumpsuit marks the only real moment of frenzy and pandemonium down below.