Twenty One Pilots
Balu Brigada
The Clancy Tour
September 6, 2024
American Airlines Center
Dallas, Texas
Twenty One Pilots and support act Balu Brigada played a sold-out show at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on September 6, 2024.
Balu Brigada is a band of two brothers from New Zealand. They were a very fitting opener for Twenty One Pilots. I saw the brothers’ band quite a few times on this tour and they got more energetic every night. Their most popular song is “So Cold” but my favorite from their set was “2good.”
When the clock struck 8:43, “What’s your ETA? Two minutes” boomed over the speakers.
Arriving right on time at 8:45, Twenty One Pilots kicked off their set with “Overcompensate,” the first track from their newest album, Clancy.
Before “Overcompensate” could even finish, lead singer, Tyler Joseph walks out into the crowd to be held up by the fans for “Holding Onto You.” Later in the song, drummer Josh Dun executed a perfect backflip off the piano. Moments later, during “Car Radio,” Joseph magically teleported to the arena’s upper level and dramatically ripped off his Clancy ski mask, revealing his face.
As the band prepared to play “The Judge” a very sweet video of fans eagerly waiting in line for the show played on the big screens. The fans in the video started the song and the band took it from there.
During “Routines in the Night” the duo made their way to their separate smaller stages, high-fiving fans along the way.
After “Mulberry Street”, the lights went out and Torchbearer (Josh Dun) appeared in the lower bowl on a mission to deliver Clancy (Tyler Joseph) his signature jacket with red tape. The duo made their way back to the main stage together where the ominous towers of Dema were revealed as the curtain fell.
As the band played “Oldies Station,” a song for the fans, artwork made by the fans was displayed on the big screens. This band did their best to incorporate their fans into their show as much as possible.
Of course, the night ended with “Trees.” They played trees differently than they have in the past though. Instead of starting on the main stage and finishing in the crowd, they played the entire song in the crowd.
After “Trees” concluded, the band took their final bows on the main stage and Joseph said, “We’re Twenty One Pilots and so are you. We’ll see you next time! Peace.”
Nobody does it quite like Twenty One Pilots. The duo spent about 80% of their time on the main stage and 20% of their time in various places throughout the arena, which gave as many fans as possible a chance to be close to the band. Between their flawless transitions, fan engagement, unpredictability, dedication, etc. nobody does live shows better than them in my book.
Review and Photos by Paige Flournoy
