Twenty One Pilots Cover White Stripes With Ohio State Marching Band’s Drumline In Columbus

Twenty One Pilots celebrated their Columbus roots with the biggest U.S. headlining show of their career on Saturday at Ohio Stadium. Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun enlisted the Ohio State University Marching Band’s drumline for The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” as part of a career-spanning homecoming filled with rarities, a live debut and nods to their hometown.

The sold-out October 17 concert was the duo’s longest yet, running over three hours with a 38-song setlist spread across two sets. Death Cab for Cutie and Emi Grace opened the show, which featured three stages, fireworks and a drone display.

The drumline joined Twenty One Pilots late in the second set, following “Drag Path.” A prerecorded introduction from Jack White preceded “Seven Nation Army,” the 2003 Elephant track that has become a fixture at sporting events. The collaboration brought Ohio Stadium’s own marching band tradition into the duo’s headlining performance at the home of the Buckeyes.

Twenty One Pilots previously performed “Seven Nation Army” in tribute to The White Stripes at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. The cover has since appeared in their festival sets, including at Innings Festival in February. Saturday’s version added the Ohio State percussionists for the hometown occasion.

The connection between Twenty One Pilots and the marching band predates the sit-in. Ohio State’s band played “Trees” at Ohio Stadium on September 7, 2019 as part of its Salute To Ohio Artists halftime show. Seven years later, Joseph and Dun returned to the same field as headliners and ended their own concert with “Trees.”

Saturday’s setlist reached well beyond their recent festival shows. Twenty One Pilots opened with “Goner” for the first time and paired “Morph” with “The Hype.” Longtime collaborator Mark Eshleman joined them for “Robot Voices,” while “Navigating” led into the live debut of “At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb” from their 2024 album, Clancy.

After an intermission, the duo resumed with “Ode To Sleep.” The second set included a shortened “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” a stripped-down “Oldies Station” and the first full performance of “Isle Of Flightless Birds” since 2014. The latter dates to Twenty One Pilots’ self-titled 2009 debut, bringing their earliest album into the stadium celebration. “Seven Nation Army” arrived during the final stretch, with “Tally,” “Downstairs,” “Guns For Hands” and “Stressed Out” following before the “Trees” finale.

Watch video of “Seven Nation Army” shared by the Ohio State University Marching Band below: