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Twenty One Pilots in Dallas: They'll climb on anything, fans included

Flipping backwards off the top of a piano, drummer Josh Dun and his bandmate, Tyler Joseph, made the American Airlines Center in Dallas their playground on Wednesday night.

This unpredictable duo known as Twenty One Pilots has crafted its own rebellious identity of alt-rock laden with anxious stories and killer beats.

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Like the black ski masks and red-and-black suits and ties they wore at the beginning of the concert, the pair juxtaposes its darker, contemplative songs with goofy grins. Their dark yet welcoming music has helped them build a steady fanbase that feels inclusive.

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As the song "Heavydirtysoul" crescendoed into an explosive chorus, fans jumped to their feet and chanted along.

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Joseph, the lead singer and multi-instrumentalist, seemed to be taking it all in as much as he was putting on a show. Even though this is Twenty One Pilots' biggest United States tour yet, the dynamic pair seemed comfortable on a huge stage. The band recently brought its quirky unpredictability to the Grammys, where they took home their first-ever award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance in their underwear. In their acceptance speech, Joseph and Dun explained that they met at a party where everyone was pantsless. They promised each other if they ever won a Grammy, they would do so in their underwear.

Although they were fully clothed throughout the evening, the band was far from predictable. Dun sprinted on top of the pit in a giant hamster ball and even played drums on top of adoring fans. If Joseph wasn't playing the piano, guitar or ukulele, he was climbing up a single platform above the pit, crowd surfing or appearing in the crowd on the third floor. Even though he was all over the place, the agile front man performed "Heathens," the lead track from the film Suicide Squad, and the mash up of "Screen" and "The Judge" with poised delivery.

The mash-up featured a long string of lyrics that Joseph swiftly landed with a sharp tongue; those heavy-handed verses have become one of the band's strongest attributes in today's alt-rock scene.

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The most-promising characteristic of these two defiant artists is not their high energy or their bold, imaginative attire; it's their dynamic talent. 

Dun and Joseph are leaders in music: Dun performed an astounding drum duel with a pre-recorded video of himself. Joseph breathlessly raced through breakneck verses and came to a screeching halt for the slower tracks with ease, reaffirming these peculiar artists deserved that Grammy, with or without their pants.

By BRENNA RUSHING, Special Contributor