Feb. 22, 2026, 9:22 a.m. MT
Twenty One Pilots fans were out in force when the duo played Tempe Beach Park, arriving hours early and making a break for the foot of the stage to secure a position as close to their heroes’ performance as humanly possible after finally making their way through security.
It didn’t take much guesswork to determine which of the 10 artists playing Innings Festival on Saturday, Feb. 21, these fans had come to see. Some wore T-shirts. Others dressed in costumes representing different album cycles.
It’s a full-blown cultural phenomenon that shows no sign of losing steam a decade down the road from the Ohio duo’s first arena show in Phoenix in support of “Blurryface,” their genre-mashing breakthrough.
Twenty One Pilots gave an intensely physical performance (as usual)
And that may have everything to do with the simple fact that Tyler Joseph and perennially shirtless drummer Josh Dun are still committed to rewarding that enthusiasm with intensely physical theatrical performances that ultimately hinge on the emotional catharsis of the music.
Joseph sang “Ride” from the top of a viewing stand, dancing along the edge with no harness in sight, before bringing a young fan named Elise on stage to join him on the chorus, telling her “This is your moment, Elise!”
And it was!
Dun scaled the side of a scaffolding tower to reveal a second drum kit high above the crowd, which he then proceeded to bash away on during “RAWFEAR,” oddly fearless (and without a harness).
Joseph made his entrance springing off the top of an upright piano, one of several instruments he played in the course of a 20-song performance, and balanced on a platform held aloft by either fans or members of the crew (if not quite possibly some combination of the two) on their second song, “The Contract.”
For the live debut of “Center Mass,” their third song, Joseph had the crowd chant “Josh Dun is my dad” during the pause while promising the crowd, “We’re gonna give you everything we have tonight, all right?”
And that’s exactly what they did.
The setlist went heavy on ‘Breach’ and ‘Blurryface’
The setlist featured seven songs from “Breach,” their latest effort, five from “Blurryface,” their breakthrough, and assorted highlights of their catalog, from “Trees,” a song that first appeared on “Regional at Best” (when their success was truly regional at best) to “Heathens,” an 11-times-platinum hit from the soundtrack to “Suicide Squad.”
Joseph briefly stumbled as he raced across the stage on “Heathens,” telling the crowd, “Give it up for me for tripping but not falling on my butt.”
They also did “Jumpsuit” as part of a medley with “City Walls” from “Breach” as the back of the stage was engulfed in flames.
There were a total of three live debuts – “Center Mass,” “One Way” and their latest single, “Drag Path.”
Highlights ranged from ‘Seven Nation Army’ to ‘Stressed Out’
And they covered “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes, introduced by Jack White of the White Stripes, via video. “Hi, I’m Jack White,” he said. “And I give Tyler and Josh permission to do this song.”
It’s the song they performed at the White Stripes’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction and it sounded great in Tempe, Joseph powering through the riff on fuzz bass before shifting gears abruptly on a haunting mid-song reimagining with Dun on keys and Joseph on piano.
They were nearing the end of their performance by the time they got to that one, but they didn’t have much trouble topping it with “Stressed Out,” which remains their most-streamed song on Spotify and a cathartic highlight of their live shows.
There’s nothing quite like the release of all those people joining in on a chorus of “Wish we could turn back time to the good old days when our mama sang us to sleep / But now we’re stressed out.”
It’s a tough act to follow, but there’s a reason these guys tend to end the night with “Trees,” an early treasure that remains the perfect closer after all these years.
Twenty One Pilots setlist 2026: Songs they did at Innings Festival
These are the songs that made the setlist when Twenty One Pilots headlined Innings Festival at Tempe Beach Park:
- “Overcompensate” (extended intro)
- “The Contract” (Tyler on piano; crowd stand)
- “Center Mass’ (live debut; extended intro; “Josh Dun is my dad” chant)
- “Shy Away” (piano intro)
- “Heathens” (extended intro)
- “Next Semester” (no outro)
- “One Way” (live debut; with “Stolen Dance” bridge)
- “Tear in My Heart” (Josh voicemail Intro)
- “Jumpsuit” / “City Walls” (torchbearer Intro)
- “Nico and the Niners”
- “Heavydirtysoul”
- “Drum Show” (song paused for security)
- “RAWFEAR” (Josh on scaffolding)
- “Drag Path” (live debut)
- “Doubt” (demo version)
- “Ride” (Tyler On crowd viewing stand; with young fan Elise)
- “Tally”
- “Seven Nation Army” (The White Stripes cover with Jack White intro)
- “Stressed Out”
- “Trees”
- “Lavish” (played from tape)
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Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and on Facebook as Ed Masley. Email him at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com.
