Anklebiters - Joshler

3. Adoration

Okay, Josh Dun wasn't a fan of Joseph (anymore), and he wasn't a stalker either. When he was asked by his boss to go to one of his concerts he couldn't just say: 'Sorry boss, I don't like the guy.' so poor Josh found himself on a plane headed straight for Columbus, Ohio, a place he never thought he'd go back to, only hours before Tyler's gig began. From what he heard, the venue was incredibly small and only held about 300 people, but it was one of Tyler's favourite venues.

Josh knew that Tyler came from Columbus so it only made sense that the detached singer had so many one-off shows in his hometown where he felt safe. Josh had a different view on their shared hometown, but still wanted to get a good story. Still, that didn't stop people from travelling interstate and from all over America to see his gigs, and Josh was glad that he had a staff-pass which gave him the chance to steal a spot near the barricade. However that gave him a harder task: Try Not To Be Seen By Tyler Joseph.

The guy was dramatic and Josh was sure that the majority of his patriotic supporters would gladly tear Josh apart limb by limb if Tyler was to give them the command. He better be getting a raise for this.

Before the gig started, Josh found himself loitering around the merch table. He felt like he had been transported back to his teen years, excited to be in a crowd listening to an artist tear their heart out on stage as he knew Tyler would do. The boy was eccentric like that. He didn't just sing, he performed. Josh pulled out his wallet, exchanging some money for an interesting yellow 'twenty one pilots' (Tyler's touring band)  shirt. He decided to change into that shirt when he got to a bathroom, thinking it would help him blend into the crowd.

Josh watched as fans began to trickle through, then he joined the flow and landed a spot off to the side pressed against the barrier, the pressure only building up as more fans surged towards the front. Minutes later, all of the lights shut off, the only light source now being a soft yellow glow coming from lights below the stage. Teenagers around him cried out in excitement when silhouettes could be seen drifting across the stage, moving blindly through the dark but knowing the stage as well as their palms.

As soon as the low g chord escaped the piano, the crowd shivered even though the room was already growing hot. Tyler Joseph repeated the melody instead of starting the song, of course taking his time and most likely enjoying the feeling of his fans desperation.

"Joining me tonight is Nick Thomas on bass and Chris Salih on the drums. You know them. You love them, but I hope not as much as me." Tyler chuckled, his mouth against the microphone.
"This song is called Drown, I hope that you like it." His smooth voice echoed through the darkness and as Tyler finally began to sing, deep blue lights lit up the room.

Tyler spoke the words flawlessly, owning the piano without even needing to open his eyes. Instead he basked in the sounds which he created, soaking in the sound of the words being returned to him by fans.

Josh felt his breath stuck in his throat, mesmerised by the simple yet effective stage presence Tyler exuded. He found himself desperate to scream along, feeling the weight of every word that passed Tyler's lips, just as much as Josh did when he was younger. Josh looked to his side, admiring the effect Tyler had on his listeners.

When Tyler got to rap, Josh could no longer act professional and found himself mumbling along to the words. He found a sense of pride and surprise in the fact that he made no mistakes- unlike many of the diehard fans around him which stumbled over the fast spoken words. After that party back in 2007, Josh had closed himself off from Tyler's live performances completely.

The information you could pick up from Tyler's live shows, was better than anything you could try to claw out in an interview.

Josh found himself shocked by how much untapped emotions were finally showing when Tyler played. He wasn't showing off his skill, he was giving himself away to his fans and digging into the darkest parts of his soul in an attempt to connect with those who were troubled like himself. Josh couldn't deny it, even though he swore his hatred for Tyler so long ago, he listened to twenty one pilots' first album as soon as it was released.