Twenty One Pilots: The Clancy World Tour 05/05/2025

Rating: ★★★★★

OVO Hydro Rating: ★★★★★

Where we stayed: Premier Inn Edinburgh Park (Airport)

SETLIST:

Overcompensate
Holding On To You
Vignette
Car Radio
The Judge
The Craving (Jenna’s version)
Tear In My Heart
Backslide
Shy Away
Heathens
Next Semester
Routines In The Night
The Line (B Stage)
Mulberry Street (B Stage)
Navigating
Nico And The Niners
Heavydirtysoul
My Blood
Guns For Hands
Lavish
Ride (with young fan, Samuel)
Paladin Strait
Jumpsuit
Midwest Indigo
Stressed Out
Trees

At the concert, I thought back to when I took a chance on the Twenty One Pilots’ 2018 album ‘Trench’ in a local charity shop. The cover art, of a black vulture with yellow eyes, appealed to me because of my love of birds. It also looked somewhat menacing, as if it had a story to tell. The band name rang a bell but I didn’t immediately connect them with their biggest song ‘Stressed Out’. I listened to the CD the instant I got home but was initially disappointed, as I wasn’t a fan of Rap. However, it was impossible to go about the rest of my day without the opening of ‘Morph’ (the first song I listened to at random) getting stuck in my head. I gave the album another go and was hooked. Their music doesn’t fit into one genre, as there is also Indie Rock and Electropop influences. Their style is unique, which draws a lot of interest. It was the summer of 2022 by the time I became a fan, many years after the band was established in 2009. I was lucky to find a resale ticket for one of their four shows in London during their ‘Takeover Tour’ and only felt slightly out of place when the arena belted out every single lyric with Tyler Joseph (frontman). My excitement grew even more when their 2024 album ‘Clancy’ was announced and I fell in love with the first three singles, ‘Overcompensate’, ‘Next Semester’ and ‘Backslide’. I had the chance to meet TJ and Josh Dun (drums) at a HMV signing in London, which was amazing and embarrassing at the same time. I shook Josh’s hand but forgot to reach out for Tyler’s – oops. Then, desperate to say anything at all, I blurted out ‘Clancy’ might be my favourite album of theirs. Met with blank stares, probably because the majority of the album wasn’t yet available to the public, I quickly added “From what I’ve heard!” They laughed and TJ jokingly said the rest of the album “sucks”. JD defended it, saying there are plenty of “bangers”. I smiled, clutched my freshly signed art card and scuttled away. Over the years, I have converted Paul into a TOP fan. He eventually agreed to come with me to this concert, although we ended up sitting in different sections.

We started queuing just before the doors were due to open at 6:30pm. The area was absolutely heaving with fans, many of whom were in costume. It took about forty minutes to get into the venue, though the security checks were quick and painless. We still had enough time to buy t-shirts at the merch stall and drinks to keep ourselves hydrated, which was necessary after standing outside in the sun. The bar staff talked me into a draft lemonade, which was better value than a can since they filled the cup right to the top. Paul and I parted ways and made it to our seats in time for New Zealand Pop duo, Balu Brigada. I kept thinking they must have been carefully selected as, like Half Alive in 2022, they were an incredibly fitting opening act. Not an easy feat, since TOP’s genre is so difficult to pin down. Henry Beasley is the lead singer/guitarist, whilst younger brother Pierre Beasley also provides vocals and plays multiple instruments. You could see the brotherly love on stage, with the boys messing around and bumping into each other for fun. Sadly, a lot of people around me chatted loudly throughout their set. Paul said the same at the interval, about where he was sitting. I feel people should go to the bar, if they are not interested. It is always the same. Thankfully, BB received a ton of support from the more immersed fans on the floor, who were chanting and singing along. Their songs were all captivating and easy to bounce along to. ‘Moon Man’, their first song of the night, made the biggest impression on me and the lyrics are still cemented on my brain. Their unreleased song, ‘Backseat’, was exciting to hear and I think it could really grow on me after a couple more listens. The brothers came across as very likeable, even from their short time onstage. BB have joined TOP for the entirety of their ‘Clancy’ World Tour, which started in Denver (North America) on August 15th and will conclude in London on May 14th. It is a gruelling tour, with over seventy dates. Now, a huge amount of TOP fans will have fond memories of them.

At 8:43pm, a pre-recorded message asked “What’s Your ETA?” Fans recognised this from ‘Midwest Indigo’ and knew the answer was “Two minutes!” How long we had to wait for the curtain to drop. The drum-heavy opening of ‘Overcompensate’ filled the arena and thousands of people started shrieking. TJ came on stage in his Clancy character mask and it all seemed to go by in a flash. A trick was performed for ‘Car Radio’, where TJ appeared to look into the camera, disappear through a trapdoor and end up somewhere else completely. I was too absorbed in the magic to figure out how they accomplished this until afterwards. TJ took a moment to say The Hydro is one of their favourite venues to perform in. A heartfelt video was shown before ‘The Judge’, featuring fans lining up outside the venue earlier in the day. It focused on one girl who said she has met many friends because of their shared love for the band. I was in constant awe of the theatrics and how TJ and JD were always on the move. They ran around various stages, offering numerous high fives to fans along the way. At one point, and I assume it is the same at every show, TJ handed a holographic guitar pick to one lucky fan as a keepsake. I would frame it! I wasn’t expecting to hear ‘The Line’, as it is their newest release, recorded for the video-game ‘League of Legends’. It is beautiful and the bright lights shone up at the perfect moment, in time with the dramatic climax. We played a game during the cheerful ‘Mulberry Street’, holding up our phone torches for sections of the chorus. There was a lot of crowd participation, which is always fun. A kid named Samuel was brought up to sing the last part of ‘Ride’ with TJ and he very confidently shouted into the microphone. It was heartwarming to see TJ interact with him, since he has young kids himself. JD reprised his role of torchbearer, with an actual flame, to lead TJ (Clancy) back to the city of Dema, shown on the screen at the main stage. If you don’t know, TOP songs are full of story-telling and lore. It all comes from TJ’s vivid imagination and has developed over the years through their music videos and online musings. Basically, the Banditos are the good guys and the Bishops are the bad guys. There’s a lot more to it than that but I’m still wrapping my head around it all. ‘Trees’, their final song, is always chaotic. A red circle on the pit indicated where they would wheel their instruments to perform pressed up against the adoring crowd. The night ended in an explosion of red confetti, which even floated over to where I was sitting.

I scooped up some confetti to show Paul but passed mountains of it as I was leaving. My small collection became less and less impressive as I reached the exit. We met at our usual spot outside the venue and caught up on our separate but similar experiences. We still had a long drive to get to Paul’s work hotel in Edinburgh. I wasn’t as hyper as normal because I’d suffered a bout of nausea which didn’t let up until the second half of the night. I don’t know when I’ll get to see the band again, so I really wanted to make the most of this occasion. Still, their music was a lot more effective than paracetamol. I was glad Paul got to witness how much of a spectacle TOP concerts are because it’s difficult to put into words, like I have been trying to do here. Back at the hotel, I looked online to see what everyone else had to say, which has become a regular habit of mine. I couldn’t find many posts. Most people were discussing the meet and greet at HMV in Glasgow earlier in the day, as well as the FPE (Fan Premier Exhibit). I considered buying a ticket to access the FPE, a travelling museum commemorating the history of the band, but they were over £100 each. It would have been cool to see the memorabilia and receive a souvenir package including a signed item but it was a lot of money. I’m sure it would have been worthwhile for die-hard fans. Sometimes I regret not purchasing tickets once it’s too late. I also discovered the demo version of ‘Doubt’ was skipped in Glasgow but performed in Birmingham, the following night. I heard TJ was on vocal rest and that might be why it was left off the setlist but it’s quite confusing. I didn’t know we were missing out at the time, so I’m not too bothered. Paul and I have been listening to TOP practically non-stop since we have come home and it’s been great rediscovering old favourites. I hope they do more UK shows before they release another album, as I’d rather not wait years to see them again. I’ll try to be patient. Maybe I’ll brush up on the TOP lore whilst I’m waiting!

GALLERY