Columbus, Ohio
The Ohio capital that Twenty One Pilots call their hometown.
Columbus, the capital and most populous city of Ohio, is the city where Twenty One Pilots formed in 2009. Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun were both born in Columbus; the band was founded there by Joseph with bassist Nick Thomas and drummer Chris Salih, who both left in 2011.
The band still calls Columbus its hometown and has staged hometown runs there, including the five-date Tour De Columbus in June 2017. In the broader 21 Pilots narrative, Columbus represents the 'before'—the grounded, slightly anxious, deeply personal world that the band's music keeps circling back to.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Columbus, Ohio, United States
- State capital
- Yes (capital of Ohio)
- Early career context
- Performed at small local venues in the Columbus metro area
Lore & Background
The band initially played for a wide variety of audiences at clubs and venues around the Columbus area, and took part in Battle of the Bands contests at The Alrosa Villa and The Basement, two Columbus music venues. In November 2011, after months of building a fan base in the area, it played a sold-out concert at Columbus' Newport Music Hall. Songs from Trench such as "Chlorine" and "The Hype" were written and recorded in secret in Tyler Joseph's basement studio in Columbus. In 2019 Nationwide Boulevard was temporarily renamed Twenty One Pilots Boulevard to mark two hometown shows at the Nationwide Arena.
More in Lore & History
Elsewhere in Twenty One Pilots
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