From an upbeat new album to a livestream concert, the band Twenty One Pilots has been fairly experimental this year, and moving from the stage at the VMAs to CGI suits in Roblox is no exception.

   Throughout August, the concert was teased through source code and souvenirs found by Roblox players and dedicated Cliques (tøp fans), and the experience was officially announced on September 8th through the band’s social media, scheduled for September 17th at 7 pm ET. 

   The Roblox experience was a means for the band to connect with fans directly, especially during a scaled back and isolated period due to the pandemic, as the Twenty One Pilots Instagram page stated in their announcement, “our goal is to always perform for as many people as possible, we are really looking forward to this ψ type in [roblox].”

   With an interactive setlist and environment, pre-show games, and exclusive prizes and merch, the Roblox concert experience was the hype of the month for the band’s fanbase, amassing 12.5 million people visiting since its launch, according to the band’s Instagram.

The Pre-Show

Starting Wednesday, September 15th, players could enter the experience for the pre-

show. The lobby seems to be set in a false face of Dema (note the towers in the background), a fictional city in the band’s lore.

Some highlights of the pre-show are the exclusive prizes players can earn through the scavenger hunt and limited-time quests in three other Roblox experiences. For the scavenger hunt, there are“Scaled and Icy” (SAI) symbols hidden throughout the lobby; if the player collects all eighteen symbols, they earn a Twenty One Pilots flag for their avatar.

In completing the Twenty One Pilots quests in World Zero, Ultimate Driving: Westover Islands, and Creatures of Sonaria, players can earn other themed accessories like a “Blurryface” beanie, “Car Radio” ski mask, and a “Bandito” yellow bandana.

While players explore the lobby, they can also collect spray paint cans to “paint the town” with “Scaled and Icy” themed graffiti.

The Concert

“Saturday”

At 7 pm on Friday, September 17th, the actual show kicked off with a performance of “Saturday” in the server lobby. The song started completely unsaturated, players having to throw paint-balloons to bring the set to life. After the song concluded, the lobby could vote on what song from the setlist they wanted to see performed next.

“Heathens”

The set of “Heathens”, in what looked to be a garage, allowed players to essentially walk wherever they wanted, interacting with both Tyler and Josh’s avatars. Another unique feature of this song was the ability for players to grow in size.

“The Outside”

Set in a club similar to what we saw in the livestream from May 2021, “The Outside” was characterized by players falling between different levels of the pit during the chorus when Tyler sings “up and down”. 

“Stressed Out”

The environment for “Stressed Out” was extremely surreal, taking place on both Tyler and Josh’s heads or inside their minds. Players would switch between Josh and Tyler’s heads with the beat, which made the player move with the music.

“Car Radio”

This was probably the most moving performance from the experience. The mood and inflections in the music combined with the celestial and surreal environment felt like floating in your own mind and truly connecting with the song. At first, players ran around Tyler and Josh on what looked to be a music staff, and during the period of instrumentals, players were able to jump and fly throughout the set.