Concerts Reviews
Toronto Fans Sing Through the Storm with Twenty One Pilots
On September 21, 2025, the Ohio-based musical duo, Twenty One Pilots, consisting of singer/ musician, Tyler Joseph and drummer, Josh Dun, were set to play Budweiser Stage in Toronto, Canada, on their third night of The Clancy Tour: Breach. This would be their second night in Toronto.
The energy in the air was buzzing, many still living off the high of attending the concert the previous night, while others will about to experience the show for the first time. Many fans travelled for the show as well, some coming from countries in Europe, as well as Ukraine and Brazil, as the band doesn’t have plans to tour in these locations. Toronto is the only Canadian stop on the tour as well.
As fans trickled into venue grounds, it was clear that this band has a dedicated fan base. Nearly every single attendee had dressed up for the occasion, wearing outfits inspired by characters in the band’s lore, basing their outfit on an album, taping their shoulders and hands, wearing their iconic colours of red, black, yellow, and green, or simply wearing pieces of band merch. Even some staff members had bracelets to trade! You could also sense such a strong sense of community, as many fans brought small items to trade and give away, such as art pieces inspired by the band, bracelets, pins and patches, and photo cards.
Another highlight of the day was when the band’s creative/ content director, Mark C Eshleman, and photographer, Mase, came out to film content of fans. They filmed art, outfits, and fans singing along to the band’s song, “We Don’t Believe What’s on TV”, of which would be used later on in a fan video during the show.
As the gates to the venue finally opened, fans who had waited all day for the show rushed towards their seats and places in general admission, while others took the time to admire the “Bandito Camp”, set in the lawn of the venue. The lawn is where B-Stage was held, and Bandito Camp featured a couple of tents placed and decorated around the venue featuring items from their lore, such as Bandito recruitment posters, playable ukuleles, and a Toronto flag for fans to sign.
However, the stress of the night began as fans learnt that the opener, Dayglow, had their set cut due to severe storms approaching. This meant that Twenty One Pilots took to the stage at approximately 7:45, rather than their usual time of 8:45.
The concert opened with the band’s popular first single and opener to their album “Clancy”, “Overcompensate”, and the energy and volume of the crowd was unbelievable. The energy continued during the entire night, however, due to the storms, they were only able to play 16 out of their usual 28 song set. This meant that fan-favourites, such as “Heavydirtysoul”, “The Line”, and “Stressed Out” didn’t make it on the setlist for the night.
The band did not let the weather stop them from squeezing in as many songs as possible, as they performed “Tear in my Heart”, “Shy Away”, and a sparks-filled performance of “Heathens”. They also managed to play their B-Stage set, including setting a car on fire during a couple of the songs, and performed with fans who dressed up as their character “Ned” when they played “Chlorine”.
During a moment in the show, the drummer, Josh Dun, playing his role as “Torchbearer”, lit a torch from the flaming car, and picked up the flag from the Bandito Camp, which fans were able to sign, and attached it to a flagpole. He carried the flag and torch through the venue back to the main stage, where a curtain dropped to reveal the city of Dema, representing a very critical moment in the band’s lore.
They also had pyro during “Jumpsuit”, played their radio hit, “Ride”, and played their iconic closer song, “Trees”, while standing on a platform held by the crowd as confetti rained down.
Although fans were disappointed by the outcome of the night, they tried to make the most of it by leaving the venue singing songs from the band, and dancing outside with one another in the rain. Although sad, many were very grateful that the band chose to play at all, rather than cancel the show entirely.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Wed, Sep 24 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Sat, Sep 27 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
Sun, Sep 28 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
Tue, Sep 30 – Hartford, CT – Xfinity Theatre
Wed, Oct 01 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater
Sat, Oct 04 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
Sun, Oct 05 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
Tue, Oct 07 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
Wed, Oct 08 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Fri, Oct 10 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
Sat, Oct 11 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Tue, Oct 14 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf Amphitheater
Wed, Oct 15 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Fri, Oct 17 – Birmingham, AL – Coca-Cola Amphitheater
Sun, Oct 19 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
Mon, Oct 20 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
Thu, Oct 23 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sat, Oct 25 – Los Angeles, CA – BMO Stadium
Tickets and info at twentyonepilots.com/tour
TWENTY ONE PILOTS
All Photo Credit: Ashley Bellam
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: The Paper Kites Bring Warmth and Quiet Charm to Vancouver
On May 20th, Australian folk band The Paper Kites brought an intimate night of their warm indie folk tones to The Centre for Performing Arts.
The band is touring in support of their newest album, If You Go There, I Hope You Find It, which sees them lean further into their warm, atmospheric indie-folk sound, delivering a reflective and intimate collection shaped by themes of home, longing and quiet hope. Compared to their last record, At The Roadhouse, which leaned into a more Americana sound, this feels more of a return to form for the band. Tunes are reminiscent of some of their earlier Twelvefour and On the Train Ride Home material that put them on the map.
At 9:00 pm, the lights dimmed in the auditorium and with no grand entrance, the band took the stage to a roar of the audience, opening with the first track of If You Go There, I Hope You Find It “Morning Gum”. In the classic Paper Kites fashion, the whole group stood around lead singer Sam Bentley’s microphone for a stripped-down intro, before tending to their main instruments and kicking in their full sound.
The Paper Kites continued to preview some of their new material, like “Change of the Wind” and “Every Town,” while mixing in some of their best on At The Roadhouse, like “Till the Flame Turns Blue” and “Black & Thunder.”
For a cover of Colin Hay’s “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You”, Sam brought out opener, Donovan Woods, to help him perform the song acoustically. Showing off some of his charisma, Sam joked about breaking the number one rule and asking Hay what his song was about — ultimately getting the response that it was about drinking Whisky to get through some of the hard times. The pair delivered a beautiful rendition of the song, blending soothing vocal harmonies that earned a roaring response from the audience.
Sam introduced the band: Christina Lacy on guitar and keyboards, his brother Josh Bentley on drums, Sam Rasmussen on bass guitar and synthesizers, and David Powys on “just about everything,” including guitar, banjo, lap steel, and bongos.
The frontman reinforced just how grateful the band was to be back in Vancouver, which they have been visiting for the better part of 13 years now. He talked about their humble beginnings playing the Biltmore Cabaret and staying at the Patricia Hotel, the now SRO that sits on the cusp of the East Hastings area — definitely an eye opener for the Australian group. Getting stuck in the snow in Wyoming, The Paper Kites had to cancel their Portland show, with the band admittedly upset as they hadn’t had to cancel a show in their tenure as a group. With some hustle, The Paper Kites were able to make it to Vancouver — again, Sam expressing his deepest gratitude for fans making it out to the gig.
To a roar of the crowd, the Aussie musicians came back out for a two-song encore, starting with their hit “Bloom,” with fans helping out the band with the choruses. David Powys got a moment to shine with a tasteful banjo solo that stole the show. Ending the night, Sam egged the crowd to get on their feet as they closed with the feel-good song, “When The Lavender Blooms.”
The Paper Kites delivered an intimate collection of songs, seamlessly capturing the crowd’s hearts from the beginning. With the Centre being a 1800 capacity venue, the band has a way of making you feel like you’re in a bar, with their charm and stripped back sound. Sam shared the sentiment that each time they return, the crowds seem to grow — and it’s clear that whenever The Paper Kites are in town, passionate fans show up, with more joining every time.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
THE PAPER KITES
All Photo Credit: Hunter Soo
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: The Last Dinner Party Turned Vancouver’s Orpheum Into Their Own Gothic Playground
There’s a thin line between theatrical and try-hard. The Last Dinner Party spend most of their live show sprinting directly at that line, then somehow vaulting over it without falling flat on their face. At the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver on May 19, the band’s From The Pyre Tour felt huge, dramatic, occasionally ridiculous, and fully convincing anyway.
That’s harder to pull off than people give them credit for. A lot of bands borrow aesthetics: velvet curtains, religious imagery, corsets, vintage silhouettes, tragic womanhood as performance art. The Last Dinner Party actually build a world around those ideas and commit to it so fully that the audience starts behaving like they’ve entered the same universe. Walking into the Orpheum before the show felt like arriving late to an elaborate costume party where everyone had been assigned a literary archetype ahead of time with lace gloves, ribboned dresses, heavy boots, and tiny opera binoculars. One woman looked like she’d escaped from a haunted manor in 1872 ; another looked ready to front an early-2000s emo band. Somehow both made sense.
The Last Dinner Party opened with “Agnus Dei,” and immediately the whole production snapped into focus. The towering drapery, faux-stone staging, dim cathedral lighting, and the band’s carefully styled costumes could have overwhelmed the actual music in weaker hands. Instead, it sharpened it. The set design wasn’t decoration, it functioned like an extension of the songs themselves.
Frontwoman Abigail Morris remains one of the most magnetic performers working right now partly because she never performs like she’s above any of this. Plenty of singers can command a room. Morris pulls people into one. She spent nearly two hours stalking across the stage, throwing herself into songs with total conviction, then suddenly grinning between tracks like she still can’t believe the band got this big this fast. That balance matters as without it, the band’s maximalism could easily turn self-serious. Instead, the show constantly breathed.
The run of “Count the Ways,” “The Feminine Urge,” and “Caesar on a TV Screen” early in the set was absurdly strong. Guitarist Emily Roberts shredded through riffs with a refreshingly unpolished swagger compared to a lot of modern indie rock’s obsession with restraint. There were moments during “Caesar on a TV Screen” where the entire show tipped into full glam-rock spectacle. Big gestures, big harmonies, big emotions, and no apology for any of it.
Midway through the set, things got darker and more interesting. Songs from From The Pyre carried far more weight live than they do on record, especially “Woman Is a Tree” and “Rifle.” The quieter moments felt genuinely tense inside the Orpheum. You could hear the room lock in. During the eerie vocal opening of “Woman Is a Tree,” the band gathered close together beneath dim lighting while shadowy bird imagery hovered overhead. It was one of the night’s best moments.
The absence of bassist Georgia Davies, who remains off tour recovering from injury, was acknowledged warmly. Touring bassist Max Lilley handled the material well, though Davies’ absence still felt noticeable in a band this chemistry-driven. The Last Dinner Party work best when they feel like five personalities colliding together at once.
Keyboardist Aurora Nishevci quietly stole several moments throughout the night, especially during “I Hold Your Anger,” which landed with force live. The band’s harmonies remain their secret weapon. Beneath all the theatricality and visual ambition, they’re still an exceptionally tight musicianship-first band.
Before launching into “Nothing Matters,” Morris asked the crowd to put their phones away for one song. The people listened and suddenly the room felt freer and less self-conscious. The balcony shook during the chorus as people screamed every word back at the stage.
The encore leaned fully into chaos. “This Is the Killer Speaking” arrived with dance instructions and country-western absurdity. By the time the band closed with an “Agnus Dei” reprise, the crowd looked exhausted and completely won over.
The Last Dinner Party are already very good. What makes this tour exciting is that they still feel slightly dangerous around the edges. There are moments where the ambition threatens to spill over, moments where things nearly become too theatrical or too sentimental. But they should protect that feeling at all costs.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
Upcoming From The Pyre Tour Dates:
05/20 Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall %
05/22 Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo %
05/26 Sacramento, CA – Channel 24 %
05/27 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater %
05/29 Los Angeles, CA – Orpheum Theatre %
05/31 Del Mar, CA – The Sound %
06/02 Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom %
06/04 Des Moines, IA – Val Air Ballroom %
06/05 Saint Paul, MN – Palace Theatre %
06/07 Detroit, MI – Masonic Jack White Theatre %
06/09 Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live! %
06/10 Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle %
06/12 Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte %
06/13 Atlanta, GA – The Eastern %
% with Automatic
More information here.
THE LAST DINNER PARTY
AUTOMATIC
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer