By Thomas Iacobucci
The drop of the velvet curtain crumbled away as the lights of the Amalie Arena dissipated.
A blank stage engulfed in darkness sat in front of a crowd nearing 12,000.
Two figures, one hooded with a bandana concealing his face and holding a torch, and the other, donning a black ski mask and strapped with a bass, stood atop a rusted, desolate car while a smoky mist filled the air around them.
Head perched and eyes locked with the crowd, the hooded bandana figure, Josh Dun, the duo’s drummer, walked forward to the edge of the stage, extending his arm with the torch for the entire crowd to see.
The other figure, Tyler Joseph, lead singer/bassist/keyboardist, remained atop the car, waiting in anticipation as the arena held its breath.
Twenty One Pilots, or twenty øne piløts as it’s spelled and stylized, played the Amalie Arena on Oct. 9, returning to Tampa for the second time on the same extended Bandito Tour that saw them here in 2018.
The duo’s latest album, “Trench,” played as the main theme for the night’s show, highlighting the characters that both Joseph and Dun conceptualized for the album.
Opening with “Jumpsuit,” one of the first singles released before the debut of their latest album, the duo set a precedent for the energy and stage theatrics that ensued throughout the night.
As Dun held the flaming torch in his hand and the lights dimmed further, flames from underneath the hood of the decrepit car erupted with light. Joseph began playing the intro to the screaming “Clique” that filled the floor and seats.
The first three songs saw the duo remain in character as “Banditos,” fictional liberators of the city of Dema, who act as the protagonists in the world of “Trench.”
As “Jumpsuit” concluded, the band immediately transitioned into the post-apocalyptic sounding “Levitate,” before diving back into their arsenal and playing “Heavydirtysoul” to close out the opening intro, where the two finally revealed their faces to the screaming arena.
Dealing with concepts of faith, mental health, suicide and insecurity, “Trench” conveys the duo’s metaphorical manifestations on confronting these issues through a wide array of sounds that fall under differing genres.
As the alternative duo continued their set, they altered between bewitching the packed arena with classic hits off their last album, “Blurryface,” though mainly focusing on songs from “Trench.”
Interacting with the crowd and leading them through the night, Joseph would constantly divulge personal anecdotes attached to particular songs.
“A lot of times, when I try working on a new idea, I sit on the ground with a keyboard like this,” he said, sitting on the stage with his keyboard, getting ready to perform “Ride” to the waiting crowd.
With outfit changes at various points throughout the night, a second stage in the middle of the general admission pit, and crowd-surfing on platforms with their instruments, Joseph and Dun showcased their seasoned status as veterans when it comes to putting on a theatrical show.
The duo closed their two-hour set with “Trees” from their 2013 album “Vessel,” though the energy they were both still conveying led the packed house to believe that they could have kept going.
Arms clasped together, Joseph and Dun bowed, receiving a standing ovation and saying “We’re Twenty One Pilots, and so are you. We’ll see you next time.”
As the extended second leg of the duo’s ”Bandito Tour” continues, their lasting effect on the Tampa crowd will not be soon forgotten.
Twenty One Pilots played at Amalie Arena on Oct. 9. 
Two figures, one hooded with a bandana concealing his face and holding a torch, and the other, donning a black ski mask and strapped with a bass, stood atop a rusted, desolate car while a smoky mist filled the air around them. 
Head perched and eyes locked with the crowd, the hooded bandana figure, Josh Dun, the duo’s drummer, walked forward to the edge of the stage, extending his arm with the torch for the entire crowd to see.
