Clancy Tour¶

2024-10-10

This is my wallpaper right now:

I've had twenty one pilots-inspired wallpapers in the past, but this one is different — I took it myself.

Last Sunday, on 2024-09-29, I went to Detroit to see the boys on Clancy Tour. It was a magical night for sure. I've been waiting for this night since April — no, since 2021.

Let's first begin with the D2A2 bus.

Blake Transit Center¶

I arrived at the bus station at 16:00. Laura has been waiting there. I met her weeks ago, and we made plans how to get there, what to do in Detroit, and how to come back. We had planned to visit a museum, but all museums close on Sunday evenings, so we opted for the Concrete Pyramid instead.

At least a quarter of the bus wore some form of merch or tape. I am not a merch person, because I would rather spend the money on more music. Just as I was wondering if I could connect with a few more frens, someone tapped my shoulder. She is Marisa, whose Scaled And Icy shirt gave away her identity. "Are you going to the show?" she asked. I removed my jacket to reveal the red tape on my shoulders and replied, "what do you think?"

Laura and I invited her to tour Detroit with us.

Detroit¶

As we set foot on Detroit, we opened the map to look for the Pyramid, but first, a bathroom break at a Dunkin Donuts, and a meal at Potbelly. Marisa showed us her crocheted balaclava and disposable film camera, and I shared my "EAST IS UP" stickers.

Canada was on the other side of Detroit River. As we walked along the bank, we joked how the General Motors towers looked like those in Dema, and that the new record is essentially about Clancy escaping to Canada.

The Concrete Pyramid is Not Impressive™. It's just a spiral that converges at the center, which is no taller than three meters. Nevertheless, we walked up like children would, because it is not about the pyramid, it's about the time spent together.

We grew bored of the pyramid very soon, and it's time to go to Little Caesars Arena (LCA). We walked to the QLINE station, and boarded the tram free of charge. From a distance we recognized the boys on the LED billboard across the road.

The ticket person guided me to the wristband table. I promised to take photos to send Laura and Marisa, before I entered the pit.

However, the lady wouldn't let me in with my spool of red tape, so I left it at the sink in the men's bathroom:

By the time I came back again, it was gone, but since I bought it specifically for the show at a negligible cost, it has served its purpose.

In the pit¶

A person was wearing a badge that says "it's my birthday!", so I said "happy birthday".

I arrived just in time for Balu Brigada to start playing. They're the opening band for the night, and they nailed it. They thank us, they leave. The crew came and removed their set.

Suddenly at some point, the crowd began doing a wave. It goes clockwise in a circle, until a robotic voice came on the PA: "What's your ETA?"

"Two minutes!" yelled the crowd in unison.

Two minutes pass, and —

Piano chords. Synth. Diese kleine unheimliche Insel hat mich zu einer Waffe gemacht. Wir glauben beide —

Then French, then Spanish, then Josh, as the curtain drops to the floor.

Show begins¶

The show kicks off with Clancy's opening track, "Overcompensate". That's when I took the wallpaper photo.

Notable events during each track (Link to setlist on setlist.fm):

Main stage¶

• HOTY: after six years I finally saw Josh's backflip in person

• Vignette: Tyler's synth noodling
• Car Radio: magic track where Tyler gets "transported" to the mezzanine
• Judge: fan video
• Craving: big sad i cried
• TIMH: not much
• Backslide: Tyler sitting on a chair Shinji-style

• Shy Away: Josh playing drumpads
• Heathens: Josh's drum solo
• Next Semester: not much
• Routines: Tyler literally yoinked a chair from backstage and decided to sit ~2m next to me

B stage¶

• Addict/Migraine/Forest/Fall Away: old fans rejoice! Tyler still remembers RaB!
• Mulberry Street: we took turns shining our flashlight in the chorus. Also, Josh walked past me as well

Back to main stage¶

• Navigating: not much
• NATN: The Dema towers at the back of the stage
• Heavydirtysoul: I could literally feel the pyro heating my face

• My Blood: not much
• Oldies: Tyler's last line was improvised to shoutout his daughter: "She's in the crowd… and I love her. I love you Rosie!" and I cried again
• Fake: Tyler played keytar
• Guns: not much
• Lavish: Tyler & Josh had a "mock wedding" where they walked arm in arm, and Josh threw his jersey like a bouquet to a lucky person in the crowd
• Ride: they invited a girl named Evelyn up on the stage to sing the chorus. By the time the song stops, everyone was chanting "E-VE-LYN"
• Paladin: Josh playing the keyboard and singing

Encore¶

After the one-minute bird chirping and Nico jumpscare, the final part of the show began.

• Jumpsuit: pyro and confetti (I caught some in a plastic Kroger bag)
• Midwest: everyone yelling at the top of their lungs "2 MINUTES!!"
• Stressed Out: completely reworked backing track, much cooler
• Trees: HELLOOOO(HEY)OWO (HEY) HELLOOO(HEY)OOOO (HEY) HELLOOOOOO(HEY)OWO (HEY) HELLOOOO(HEY)OOOOOO (HEY) (more confetti)

"We are twenty øne piløts and so are you. We'll see you next time, please."

The moment I checked the timestamps, I realized the crew timed the show to the precision of one second: the last image I took was exactly 23:00:00.

After the show¶

I had a small amount of confetti, but that's not enough. As I was exiting the pit, I grabbed a handful on the floor, which is hopefully enough to share with Laura and Marisa. I stash some in a ziploc (I came prepared).

A man in a green shirt with the Blurryface-era logo saw my Michigan Pride shirt, said "Go Blue", and then gave me a hug. It was the first hug I received since I said goodbye to my parents at the airport.

I walked up the stairs to ground level, filled up my water bottle and started drinking. Laura found me and I gave her the ziploc of confetti. It is now time to head home.

We carpooled with an acquaintance of mine and his dad, hurtling down the highways onto the brightly lit Ann Arbor streets. After dropping Laura off, I let out a sigh of relief, as it is finally over. The driver turned back to send me home — just like he did on 2024-09-04, when he drove me back from Green Day. I paid him $50, which I split with Laura, and then he gave me another bottle of water.

Total cost¶

• Ticket: 187.1 (service fee & tax included)
• D2A2: 6
• Potbelly: 10.59
• Carpool: 25
• Total: 228.69

Comments on the show¶

The boys did a great job as always — there was never a dull moment. They held themselves to such high standards only they can reach. The major breakthrough compared to all previous tours, I would argue, is Josh's new roles. He used to only do two things, drumming and backflips. Now he plays the keyboard and sings, skills he's been gaining since MTV Unplugged. Josh once said that, out of the 21 pilots he'd be 5 and Tyler would be 16, but I believe now he's at least 8. Call that personal growth. I'm really glad that the band is growing increasingly versatile as a whole.

Only complaint I have is the lack of At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb. Even if it's played from tape at the end of the show. Like come on.

It feels surreal to me that what was once a dream is now a reality; the person who I used to see through a strand of fiber optic cable now stands before my very eyes.

Comments on the crowd¶

The whole arena was extremely enthusiastic. You can just tell from the crowd wave. The pit was not too crowded, and generally well-behaved.

However, some people tried to touch (pet?) Tyler and Josh without consent, which is generally frowned upon. I raised my palm in an attempt to get a high five. That did not happen, which is bummer, but at least I did not cross anyone's boundaries. I also noticed plastic cups littered on the floor during the transition from main stage to B stage. Probably unintentional.

At 21:16, around 30 minutes into the show, some dude on my right yelled "Tyler have my baby". No comment.

Comments on myself¶

A professor once said their life philosophy was to behave in a way that you would be proud of yourself afterwards. I am proud to announce that this describes me that night.

I am pretty confident that I have obtained the Good Concert Goer's License.

Monday¶

I woke up at 09:30 with a slight feeling of hangover. Still can't believe I checked off one of the most important items on my wishlist.

I walked into a classroom and had the following conversation with my professor:

Me: Sorry I'm a bit tired. Got home at 1.

Prof: Oh I got home 12:30. Was at a show.

Me: Which show?

Prof: twenty one pilots.

Me: Fuck me I was there too!

It turns out my professor was at the show per her kids' request, as a birthday present. They were seated in the center front seats, and her elder kid has been a clikkie since the Vessel era. We then spent ~20 minutes discussing the show (she knew as much lore as I do), and I gave her two of my EAST IS UP stickers for her kids.

Wednesday¶

After the German class, I sneaked into Laura Okkema's (my German professor last year, not the Laura I went to the show with) office and shared with her the videos I took with a visible grin of achievement. We had a long chat. It's always a good day when I chat with her.

At 10:30 I met Marisa at the MLB and gave her a bag of confetti. And thus my mission is complete.