Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun have officially made it from two guys in a basement to thousands at Madison Square Garden.
Twenty One Pilots has slowly made their climb to the top, and the journey has been extraordinary. I had the opportunity to see one of their shows in New York back in September, and the comparison between that show and MSG is substantial.
Back in September, I knew very little about the band. I could not tell the two men apart and knew a few lyrics to some of the songs.
I am not one for the pit, so my sister and I were lucky to get box seats overlooking the pit. Being the New Yorker that I am, I remained in my own bubble. I spoke only to my sister and looked around.
Instead of staying in my own bubble, I heard stories from the people around my seat. This is when I realized the following that Twenty One Pilots has is one that a family represents. Everyone is friendly and willing to speak to each other of their story of how they started to follow the band.
The concert I attended then was a small portion of what the concert at Madison Square Garden was. In only a few months time, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun began being heard on the radio, and their hit song "Stressed Out" climbed up the charts.
Going to Madison Square Garden on the train made me think of the progress these two men have gone through. They went from performing in basements to small venues, and now they were taking on MSG. This must be a dream come true.
My sister and I arrived a little early to find our seats and we enjoyed the opening bands, Chef's Special and Mute Math. Everyone was buzzing around us in the stands waiting for Twenty One Pilots to finally perform.
Once my ears were ringing, I knew they were about to come on. The two emerged from behind the stage in masks, as they usually do in concerts and immediately started playing.
As the first two songs played, I observed multiple security guards start to swarm the staircase beside us. We started to think of the possibility that Tyler could climb up here to sing the ending of one of the songs. We were jumping with joy, but we were unsure whether this would be true or not.
Turns out, we were right and we watched as they placed a sheet on top of Tyler in front of the piano on stage. Seconds later, we watched a blur of red pass up the stairs with security lining the stairs. The spotlight shone below us and our suspicions became a reality.
Tyler finished their song "Hometown" and removed his mask at the end of the song. The crowd erupted in ecstatic screams and the show continued on the stage below.
Singing along to their songs, I realized how big this band has become, how they have finally made it to the big leagues.
Later, Tyler started telling a story of one of his old roommates that had witnessed the starting out of their career. He always asked Tyler and Josh, "Playing the garden tonight?" and tonight was the night they could finally say yes.
Tyler and Josh moved to the smaller stage in the second general admission to play some songs on their older EP, including "Kitchen Sink."
Thrown in the mix of their songs were covers with the opening bands, Chef's Special and Mute Math. The covers included Celine Dion and Justin Bieber.
The ultimate speech of all speeches was before "Trees," where Tyler spoke of the three words that he said all day while they were preparing for the concert. He explained that the first word, "We," was not only Josh and Tyler but also the crew, the opening bands and the fans. Those three words were: "We did it."
Throughout the set list of songs, you could tell how this was a surreal experience for Tyler and Josh. It was in the picture below that I took that I realized I had captured the overwhelming feeling Tyler was feeling.
This concert was a beautiful experience, and to witness this big accomplishment was remarkable. I cannot wait to see where their fame takes them now.
