Twenty One Pilots’ ‘The Clancy Tour: Breach’ Puts Fans at Forefront of Decade-long Lore

Twenty One Pilots took their swathes of “Banditos” through their ultra-immersive and lore-heavy discography during their show at Credit Union 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park, Ill. Sept. 24.

“The Clancy Tour: Breach” kicked off Sept. 18 in Cincinnati, just six days after the release of the duo’s eighth studio album, “Breach.” This is the final album in a series of five, starting with the Columbus-based band’s 2015 breakout “Blurryface,” which follows the story of a fictional city called Dema — a metaphorical representation of the brain of a person suffering mental illness.

Before lead singer and bassist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun took the stage, indie-pop band Dayglow drew the crowd in with garage-band charm. Lead singer Sloan Struble led his backing band through some of their biggest hits like “Run The World!!!,””Hot Rod” and TikTok smash “Can I Call You Tonight?” 

With only a 30-minute set, Dayglow persuaded crowd members to sing along to the popular tunes and introduced a fresh group of fans to his newer work.

As Twenty One Pilots’ start time approached, and the now-famous warning call, “What’s your ETA? Two minutes!” —  an excerpt from “Clancy” track “Midwest Indigo” — sounded. The energy throughout the amphitheater was palpable. 

The first piano notes and distorted sampled vocals of “Overcompensate” washed through the crowd as the lights went out. Shrieks of exhilaration could be heard from what seemed like every “Clique” member in the audience. 

With a bang of pyrotechnics, Joseph and Dun were off, bringing their fans into the lavish world of Dema one last time.

After rousing rap verses and anthemic choruses, the band went straight into two new tracks off “Breach” — “The Contract” and “RAWFEAR.” Despite having only 12 days to prepare, the crowd at Tinley Park appeared to have done their homework, passionately screaming along to Joseph’s expression of anxiety, fear of growing older and need for belonging.

The following part of the show was ukulele-focused. It also saw Joseph interact with his audience for the first time.

“I actually named my first uke Chicago,” Joseph said. “She’s collecting dust in my studio now, but this part is for her.”

This portion saw a number of fan participation opportunities, like a professionally-shot video of fanart, homemade outfits and large groups of friends made that afternoon during “We Don’t Believe What’s On TV.” Another interaction included a competition between the “Josh side” and the “Tyler side” during “Tear In My Heart.” 

It’s these moments of crowd work that set Twenty One Pilots apart from other acts. They seem to want their fans to be as involved with the show as they are.

Later, after an array of hits from each of their narrative albums, both Joseph and Dun made their way to the B-stage, located at the front of the amphitheater’s lawn. Such vast stage setups are the reason there seems to only be good seats at a  Twenty One Pilots gig.

At the B-stage, complete with a burning Cadillac Deville, the band played lesser-known hits like “Polarize,” “Pet Cheetah” and “Routines In The Night.”

The B-stage set also saw the return of the “Message Man ritual” where Joseph puts black paint on his hands during an instrumental break. The moment he lifted his hands to reveal the paint garnered some of the loudest screams of the night.

Once again putting fans in the spotlight, “Chlorine” saw Joseph make his way back to the front of the amphitheater but not before dancing with a group of ten specially-chosen fans dressed in outfits based around the song’s music video.

The second half of the show seemed to focus on tracks with themes from the decade-long narrative, like “Jumpsuit,” “Nico and the Niners” and “City Walls.” During the latter, a short-film version of its music video played in the background, ending with Dun’s character — the Torchbearer — declaring the Banditos’ resilience 

“We will try again,” The Torchbearer said. “Always.” 

It would be a disservice to the Twenty One Pilots touring crew to not mention the set design, lighting and sound production of the show. Seven stage changes, elaborate pyrotechnics, massive inflatable set elements and countless lighting changes are living proof of the dedication the crew has to the band and the band has to the audience. 

As is tradition during Twenty One Pilots concerts, “Trees” from 2013’s “Vessel” closed out the night. 

“Chicago, Tinley Park, do you have one more in you?” Joseph said, teasing an encore sending the crowd into a jumping frenzy with “la la la” and “Hello!”

 Joseph and Dun were hoisted up into the crowd on two stands with large tom drums, finishing the set looking out over fans who support them — another longtime tradition.

The band’s final words on stage — spoken by Joseph — sum up the driving force behind their shows. 

“We are Twenty One Pilots, and so are you.”