7 reasons to get excited for Twenty One Pilots' Emotional Roadshow tour

June 1, 2016

Last night, Twenty One Pilots returned to their home state of Ohio to kick off the Emotional Roadshow Tour. Cincinnati's US Bank Arena was completely sold out and packed to the gills with the Clique.

We attended the show to give you an inside look at what makes Emotional Roadshow different from any tour before (and have the time of our lives while doing so). Here's seven reasons to get excited for Emotional Roadshow.

1. New merch!

So beautiful and Blurryface-themed. The tour's merchandise features flags, posters, tour date t-shirts and even a TØP ukulele!

2. Chef'Special

Fueled By Ramen labelmates Chef'Special are the perfect choice for an opening slot on the Roadshow. The Netherlands-hailing group channel the rap-reggae influences of Twenty One Pilots into their own rousing show that got the whole arena hyped.

3. Mutemath

We had to give these guys their own spot on this list. Mutemath have been around since 2003, and their experience shows. If you're not familiar with their style, think Alt-J vocals and 1975 ambience, plus a healthy dose of guitar shredding. From the power and production levels these guys harnessed in their performance, by the end of their slot it felt like we'd just seen a headliner. Seriously, SO good.

4. Stunning light shows

I can feel your breath I can feel my death I want to know you I want to see I want to say Hello

A video posted by tracy (@moondancer737) on May 31, 2016 at 9:06pm PDT

Huge indoor venues mean that the band had endless possibilities to create a lighting display that not only complements every note of every song to a tee, but also stands alone as a work of art. From the artful screen displays to disco-ball effects that spanned the arena, it's easy to see that Tyler and Josh did not spare a detail of the Roadshow experience.

5. Setlist switch-ups

A video posted by Kristin Pangburn (@kpang15) on May 31, 2016 at 9:10pm PDT

Arguably the best part, and just one of many reasons for everyone that saw the first Blurryface tour to come out and see it again. The new setlist keeps the old favorites, adds some new Blurryface tracks, and even throws it back for OG Skeleton Clique—that's right, we're talking Regional At Best and self-titled material. We won't give anything away, but they did finally add back a song that this writer has been sorely missing for a long, long time. If you want a spoiler…

6. Stage antics

Twenty One Pilots never disappoints |-/

A photo posted by Gabby Hirlinger (@gabbyhirlinger) on May 31, 2016 at 8:05pm PDT

Tyler and Josh have a number of stage signatures that fans have come to expect, i.e. playing drums on top of the crowd, or Tyler summiting a tower for the drop in “Car Radio.” But trust us, the duo somehow pulled out even more stops for the Emotional Roadshow—think Tyler rolling in a hamster ball on top of the crowd. Yep.

7. A whole family of Clique members in one place

SAPPY CONCERT POST WARNING •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• can't remember the last time i left a show with sweat dripping, knees buckling, ears ringing, voice gone. surreal remembering that @twentyonepilots had as much energy playing to 100 kids at the underground in 2012 as they did on stage at a sold out us bank arena. i've seen a few shows in my day, but i can safely say tonight was the best concert of my life. only a little jealous that it was the little bro's first concert ever!

A photo posted by kika (@kikachatterjee) on May 31, 2016 at 9:13pm PDT

Between the mix of old and new, TØP made it clear that this show was as much for Cincinnati fans that saw the band play to a crowd of 100 at The Underground in 2012, as it was for brand new Clique members. As Tyler Joseph reminded the crowd, he and Josh Dun had been dreaming of last night's show for six years. There truly is nothing like singing along to Twenty One Pilots' most emotional songs with 10 thousand of your new best friends.

Tour dates:

05.31 Cincinnati, OH @ US Bank Arena
06.01 Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
06.03 Clarkson, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
06.04 Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
06.05 Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
06.07 Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
06.08 Cleveland, OH @ Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University
06.10 Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
06.12 Portsmouth, VA @ Portsmouth Pavilion
06.14 Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena
06.17 Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
06.19 Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
06.21 Buffalo, NY @ Canalside
06.28 Charlotte, NC @ The Uptown Amphitheatre at the Music Factory
06.29 Raleigh, NC @ The Red Hat Amphitheater
07.01 Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
07.02 Sunrise, FL @ BB&T Center
07.05 The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
07.06 Austin, TX @ Austin 360 Amphitheatre
07.08 Allen, TX @ Allen Event Center
07.09 Oklahoma City, OK @ Zoo Amphitheatre
07.10 Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
07.12 Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
07.15 Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint
07.16 Salt Lake City, UT @ EnergySolutions Arena
07.19 Portland, OR @ Moda Center
07.21 Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
07.24 San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena
07.26 Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Arena
07.28 Lincoln, NE @ Pinewood Bowl Amphitheater
07.29 St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
07.30 Milwaukee, WI @ BMO Harris Pavilion
07.31 Indianapolis, IN @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse
08.02 Saint Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
08.03 Rogers, AR @ Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion
08.05 Orange Beach, AL @ The Amphitheater at the Wharf
08.06 Duluth, GA @ Infinite Energy Center
08.07 Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheatre
08.10 New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden