Photos by Andy Argyrakis

At this point in Twenty One Pilots’ meteoric ascent, the unclassifiable duo comprised of front man Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun is generally an arena, amphitheater or festival headliner.

But when the guys announced the “Takeover” Tour would be landing in a town for nearly a week, gradually gaining size from the tiniest of clubs to the grandest stage, it sent demand into the stratosphere.

The group’s United Center stop (coming Saturday, October 16) sold out ages ago, which should give an indication of just how instantaneous the Bottom Lounge, House Of Blues or Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom reached similar status.

Those who made it into the Aragon, were given the benefits of both worlds, mainly the intimacy of the standing room only experience, while still managing to experience an eye-popping production.

Adding to the exclusivity was the chance to hear the local debuts of several tunes from 2021’s “Scaled And Icy,” such as the opening combo of “Good Day” and “No Chances,” which took a sunnier alternative pop disposition, compared to darker themes and textures of mega-streamers such as “Trench,” “Blurryface” and “Vessel.”

Nonetheless, all aspects of an amalgamation that can only be described as Twenty One Pilots continued with modern adrenaline-surging classics such as “Stressed Out,” “Heathens,” “Chlorine,” “Heavydirtysoul” and “Level Of Concern.”

Meanwhile, the band pulled several stunts out of its typical bag of tricks, from back flipping and piano jumping, to a stripped down campfire section, a drum solo in the midst of the audience and some serious crowd surfing.

By the time Twenty One Pilots got to “Ride” and “Car Radio,” the vibe was as lit as it gets, sending everyone into the euphoric encore of “Shy Away” and “Trees,” who upon exiting, were surely scrambling to find any possible way into Chicago’s stadium-sized finale.

Twenty One Pilots perform at the United Center on Saturday, October 16. For additional details, visit TwentyOnePilots.com and UnitedCenter.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom include LANY (Oct. 16); $uicideboy$ (Oct. 23); H.E.R. (Oct. 27); Bleachers (Oct. 28); Zedd (Oct. 29); Midland (Oct. 30); Sylvan Esso (Oct. 31); Billy Strings (Nov. 6); Jack Harlow (Nov. 12); Brothers Osborne (Nov. 13); Chvrches (Nov. 19) and Armin Van Buuren (Nov. 20). For additional details, visit LiveNation.com.

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