As the clock neared 9:15 p.m., the crowd’s energy (and volume) began to rise at a steady pace. When Tyler Joseph and Joshua Dun, better known as the alt-rap duo Twenty One Pilots, took the stage cloaked in their signature hoods the roar of the audience rose to jet-engine levels. For the second sold-out night at Echostage in Washington, D.C., Twenty One Pilots was ready to rock the house.

Before the headliner went on, energetic members of a band from San Francisco opened the show, calling themselves Finish Ticket. Their sound emulated the pop punk of the early 2000s mixed with their own personal flavor of indie rock. The four-song set was enough of a teaser to leave this critic interested and wanting more from the group. Singer Brendan Hoyes remarked to the crowd that even though it was only the second night he “really, really love[s] this tour.”

With a flair for self-indulgence, alt-pop band Echosmith lit its name across the stage, with bright burning bulbs reminiscent of the classic rockers who came before them. They treated the crowd with music ranging from their radio-hit “Cool Kids” to a fun cover of Modern English’s “I Melt With You.” Dressed to the nines, the band members took themselves very seriously. But with their stage presence and technical prowess, I would say it is pretty well deserved.

They talked tenderly to the crowd as they used their song “Cool Kids” as a way to bond with the audience saying, “everyone in this room, on this stage, wished that they felt that way, that they could be a cool kid.” They ended it on a note that made everyone feel very cool.

When 9:15 hit, the two stars of the night came out, bathed in red light, and opened with their song “Heavydirtysoul.” The pumped-up crowd sang along with every word, as they would for the rest of the set. The long lines at the merchandise stand made more sense as I stared into the crowd and saw a shirt or hat on nearly everyone there.

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Both performers brought their A-game for the second show, as did the crowd. Joseph said to the crowd after the song “Ride” that, “night number two was giving number one a run for their money,” to which the room erupted with applause.

The set progressed through the band’s hits, playing the popular “House of Gold” and “The Judge.” After a quick break, the duo came back at it with “The Run and Go” and “Tear in My Heart” before making their first exit from the stage. The performance closed with an encore of the songs “Car Radio,” “Goner” and “Trees.”

“There’s no place I’d rather be than right here in this room playing music with you right now,” Joseph told the crowd. 

[ READ MORE: GALLERY: Twenty One Pilots at Echostage ]

As the set came to an end, the crowd screamed with a fury as if for this night, their lives had changed, and by the look on the duo’s face, it was clear theirs had too.