Emily's Epic Escapades: MY LIFE IS MADE!

The Concert of a Lifetime!

Y'all. I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that I got to go to a TwentyOne Pilots concert on Wednesday! My heart is overflowing with joy and disbelief and so much love for this amazing band. I already loved them so much before the concert but being there and seeing Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun in person just expanded that love by about a million times. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have been down in the pit and be so close to one of my favorite bands, like I almost can't even put it into words. So first, a HUGE shoutout to my mom for getting those incredible tickets for me and my sister and then a GIGANTIC thank you to my sister, A, for letting me fangirl all night, show her TOP memes, and live my dream.

The concert overall was fantastic, including the opening bands, Chef's Special and Mutemath. Chef's Special is a really fun band from Holland who I will definitely be listening to more of their music and Mutemath is an equally fun band from New Orleans, who I had heard a little bit from before but will check out the rest of their music as well.

I was so full of excitement and anticipation because I had no idea what to expect. I guess for those of you who have never heard of/listened to TOP I should probably tell you a little about them/their music style. TwentyOne Pilots is a two-man band from Columbus, Ohio. The two members are Tyler Joseph, who is the lead singer, and Josh Dun, who plays the drums and the trumpet in a few songs. There is a lot of conflict on what exact genre TOP fits into and that's understandable because they don't just fit into one genre. They do a little bit of everything and most fans like to categorize their music as "ukulele screamo" or "schizophrenic pop" so if that tells you anything then it is just awesome. These guys are adorable and funny and amazing to watch. Their music is deep and realistic and helps people to describe feelings that they don't understand. The greatest thing about TOP to me is how humble Tyler and Josh are. You will not find another artist that does what they do that reacts in the way they do. They don't have songs about fame and how fantastic they are, they write songs about handling depression, anxiety, and fear and that it's okay to because you're not alone when you are facing your demons. They want to help their fans and they never make it about themselves. The fans of TOP are called "The Skeleton Clique" and as one lyric says we are "the few, the proud, the emotional." Tyler frequently says "We're TwentyOne Pilots and so are you" and that is such a touching thing to think about. They want to incorporate us into their music and into their lives, which makes them the most incredible guys I have ever been a fan of.

Within The Skeleton Clique, there is a little bit of a division into what we call "eras." The first one is the "Vessel era" and these are the fans who have been with TOP from the get-go. Vessel is their second album and before that was their self-titled album. The Vessel era fans are those that know every word to the popular songs Migraine, Car Radio, Ode to Sleep, and Holding on to You. I fall into the other category which is the "Blurryface era." Blurryface is TOP's most recent album that includes the radio hits Tear in my Heart, Stressed Out, and Ride. The first TOP song I ever heard was Tear in my Heart when I got XM radio the summer after I graduated. I immediately bought the Blurryface album and fell in love. I eventually bought Vessel and the self-titled album, but it is without a doubt that I know the Blurryface songs better. My personal favorites on Blurryface are The Judge, Lane Boy, and We Don't Believe What's On TV. Their show that I attended Wednesday, The Emotional Roadshow, was a combination of songs off of all of their albums which was phenomenal.

I could keep talking about my experiences at the concert forever, but let me just highlight some of my favorite moments.

Josh Dun. Honestly, Josh is so attractive and funny and I got to see him in person and now my life is made forever, what more do I have to say?
The people standing around us were all really friendly and fun to be around.
Tyler got in human hamster ball and ran around on top of us in the pit and I TOUCHED HIS FOOT!
Tyler and Josh both stood on platforms that were placed out on the pit (held up by fans) and banged on drums and then a bazillion pieces of confetti flew every where and everyone was just having a fantastic time.
During Lane Boy, we all crouched down on the ground and then Tyler counted us off and yelled at us to jump and so we went crazy and had a blast.
Just being a part of The Skeleton Clique is so inviting, heartwarming, and mind-blowing. It is truly an event that I will cherish forever.

Seriously, if you're struggling with anything, going through something challenging, or just need some new music to listen to, turn to TwentyOne Pilots. Their music is absolutely life changing.