Twenty One Pilots of Love and Support

Twenty One Pilots, stylized as TØP, is a band from Columbus, Ohio, that is well known for their alternative music style. The music group, formed by members Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, has a vast cult following of teenagers who call themselves The Skeleton Clique. Many young adults enjoy this music because they relate to the lyrics, which contain insightful and unexpurgated descriptions of common mental illnesses, such as anxiety and depression. Teens benefit from sharing their difficulties with other people, and knowing that they are not alone in feeling dispirited. Subsequently, since many TØP fanatics identify with each other via the music and the struggles they are experiencing, they form a connected and compatible crowd at concerts who help to console one another. Outsiders often see Twenty One Pilots fans as angsty, emotional kids, but in reality they are a supportive, hopeful, and united group who band together at the Tour de Columbus 2017 tour.

TØP fans show support for their equals at Tour De Columbus by watching out for one another while on the ground floor, which is packed with excited and restless concert-goers. The audience take part in feverish activities during the performance: they scream the lyrics at the top of their lungs, jump to the song beat, crowd surf, and mosh. With all the exhausting undertakings fans experience while on the ground floor, mixed with bright, flashing lights, deafening noises, and dehydration, crowd members become overwhelmed and commonly experience illnesses that cause them to vomit or lose consciousness. Medical personnel are present at Tour de Columbus but cannot assist the sick fans in the pit because of the dense population. Tyler often encourages his fans to take care of one another, and that is exactly what they do; they tend to their fellow concert-goers and help transfer them to nearby aid. Fans who help each other face drawbacks, since not only do they miss part of the concert, but they lose their long awaited spot on the ground floor, which takes several hours to procure. However, TØP fans make the sacrifice in order to help a fellow member of The Skeleton Clique.

Twenty One Pilots perform songs at Tour De Columbus that are sorrowful, yet simultaneously hopeful for the future, which encourages many fans to be optimistic when they are in low spirits about their lives. The band represents the ideology that life is going to get worse before it gets better, which is evident in the song lyrics; Tyler writes songs regarding his mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and anxiety, but also adds lines about his recuperation. Tyler believes that everyone is capable of overcoming their mental illnesses. Depressed Twenty One Pilots fans find comfort in the knowledge that they have a role model like Tyler who experienced similar difficulties as them in the past yet managed to recover. TØP has inspiring quotes that coincide with their sanguine beliefs, with their most popular one being, “stay alive." Despite its outwardly simple demeanor, the phrase has a complex meaning to fans: regardless of what someone is experiencing or who they are, everything will be alright if they strive to stay alive. The band displays this expression on their merchandise, like shirts and bags, which fans wear to concerts to exhibit their agreement with the phrase. In addition, TØP presents the expression on stage and sings a song with those lyrics while they are performing to further promote the concept, which encourages fans to look on the bright side and to aim for recovery. In contrast, some critics who are not fans of Twenty One Pilots hear the seemingly sorrowful lyrics and classify the duo's concerts as a gathering of emotional and desolate teenage followers. In order to avoid these pessimistic misinterpretations from outsiders, fans often only listen to TØP music by themselves. However, only true fans attend the Tour de Columbus concert, so there is no criticism about the meaning of the lyrics. Members of The Skeleton Clique have a completely different experience when there is no fear of false judgments; fans let down their guard against haters. Fellow fans, who have never met, come together to celebrate their mutual understanding of their favorite music.

Twenty One Pilots fans communicate that they are connected and united at Tour de Columbus by simultaneously singing the worshipped lyrics together. When Josh furiously pounds the drums and Tyler sings his heart out, fans cannot help but sing along as loud as possible. Members of the Skeleton Clique chant the lyrics verbatim, which enables fans to feel connected to one another. At times, Tyler stops singing during the chorus and holds his microphone out to the crowd, extending an opportunity for the excited fanatics to take a role in the performance. Fans enjoy showing Twenty One Pilots, other fans, and themselves that they know the lyrics by heart. In addition, Tyler builds a connection between fans and the band by ending every show by saying, “We are Twenty One Pilots, and so are you,” which lets the crowd know that Tyler and Josh would not be who they are without their fans; TØP and their fanatics have an equal appreciation for one another.

Teenagers who attend the Tour de Columbus 2017 Twenty One Pilots concert have drawbacks in their lives, such as mental illnesses, but ultimately these misfortunes allow them to better connect with their fellow fans. Although aspects of this concert, such as the pit and the impairing lights, can be hectic and menacing, going to this once in a lifetime event can give Skeleton Clique members a new way of helping one another to maintain their health and safety, connect to others through the music, and stay hopeful, while encouraging fellow fans to act likewise.