Twenty One Pilots @ Pavilion at Star Lake (9/28/2025)
I first heard Twenty One Pilots sometime between 2011 and 2012. I grew up in Ohio, and they were played on our alternative radio station as a local feature. Sometime around the release of their 2013 album Vessel, I was fully engulfed. I was listening to music on my iPod Touch at the time, but if I had Spotify, and Wrapped existed then, they would have been my most-played artist for a while. My older cousin was also a fan, and we saw them together at Bonnaroo in 2015, and once more in Columbus sometime shortly before or after that. The last album of theirs that I was really tapped into was Blurryface in 2015, so I’ve missed most of the lore that began during that era and is now concluding with their latest release, Breach.
Even without being aware of most of the lore, the show Sunday night at Pavilion at Star Lake was an absolute spectacle. It began with drummer Josh Dun coming to a darkened stage in a ski mask with red glowing eyes. Halfway through the first song, Overcompensate, lead singer Tyler Joseph jumped onto the stage (literally jumped), wearing his signature ski mask. The stage was backlit with a massive LCD screen, and lights above the band raised and lowered, accenting the music. The duo played their huge new single The Contract second, followed by RAWFEAR. After my three allotted songs with my camera, I took my place in the crowd where I got to enjoy the rest of the show. And enjoy it, I did.
Throughout the night the band made significant efforts to keep the crowd on their toes, in a good way, of course. They had huge smoke erupting from the stage, fireworks, and confetti, along with both members coming out into the audience to perform. One of the songs they performed off the stage was their hit Chlorine from the album Trench. A few preselected fans were gathered in an aisle, where Tyler met them, and they all sang the song together. I was lucky enough to be right by where this happened, and seeing the joy on the fans’ faces as they anticipated Tyler coming their way is something I’ll never forget. It was contagious, the excitement. A couple younger fans seated next to me squealed as he passed by, and we looked at each other laughing at how lucky we were. One girl next to me even got fist-bumped by Josh as he walked toward the B-stage earlier that evening, and she said it was the best day of her life! It’s clear how much the band understands their importance to the fans, and making the shows more interactive in this way is a perfect example of them appreciating their fandom.
The evening concluded with throwbacks Guns for Hands, Stressed Out, and Trees. During Trees, both Tyler and Josh came out into the crowd and stood on platforms held up by the audience. They hit water-covered drums while confetti rained down, fireworks exploded behind them, and smoke filled the pavilion. It was so cool to be part of!
That radio station that originally introduced me to Twenty One Pilots has since gone defunct and is now a sports channel, but Twenty One Pilots are thriving more than ever, and I suspect they will be for years to come. I hope I get the chance to cover them again, and if not, I’ll still be in the crowd singing along!
Photos by Shelly Duncan
Twenty One Pilots
