Twenty One Pilots is a band your mom might not know but one that you’re willing to camp out in the general admission line for two nights to see front row against the pit barricade. Chase Center is big, and TOP filled it with good visuals on big screens plus falling fake snow that a cannon blew all over everyone within 40 feet of the stage including my camera and hair when I was in the pit taking photos and hopefully didn’t give me mesothelioma. Lead singer Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun started the night in goggled, face-covering, smoke-emitting ski-caps, which were haunting and mysterious and made for great photos for every concert photographer who got to shoot them on 2022's The Icy Tour. Tyler took his cap off after song two right before he jumped off the stage, and then he snuck up behind Josh and ripped his off just before song 4. Non-publication-reviewing photographers weren’t invited to stay for the show, but I can vouch that the first three songs (Good Day, No Chances, Guns For Hands) were fun crowd-pleasers and those guys are a tight team and are clearly friends having fun doing what they love. Check out Shy Away live.
Opener Peter McPoland was a whirling dervish of a dude with fun pop songs and great stage presence. The front row barricade kids went crazy when he leaned out to fist bump them, and his young band filled big Chase with their big sound. They played favorites Shit Show and Come Around, and check out Romeo and Juliet live to enjoy some of his flavor.