Twenty One Pilot Get Lost (And Found) At Sea For Stormy Version Of 'Saturday'

Land ho! Twenty One Pilots took to the high seas for a rollicking efficiency of "Saturday," a upbeat and poppy cut that might as well have been a salty shanty, at the 2021 MTV VMAs. Much like in the song's video, which noticed the Columbus duo popping off at a underwater submarine party, their live rendition of "Saturday" brought warm vibes to a chilly and blustery seascape.


As members Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun recently did as soon as they returned to the tour stage, they kicked off with a ukulele intro giving way to a full-on stage show. They appeared to float on rafts. They rocked slightly more gently than might be suitable given the circumstances.


And in a particularly cool moment, Joseph laid down onstage surrounded by waves, a physical representation of some of the tune's key lyrics: "Life moves slow on the ocean floor / I can't feel the waves anymore."


Things end better for the duo and their backing musical group, including supplementary vocalists, than they do in the song's video — there's no giant evil creature terrorizing them and literally crashing their party. By the end, Joseph has gone through some stuff, however he's in one piece (and dry). He even shouted, "My partner is pregnant!" throughout the bridge! That's incredible! (They're no strangers to the VMAs, either, racking up five nods and two wins since 2013.)


"Saturday" appears on 21P's most recent album, Scaled and Icy, which dropped in May. This year at the VMAs, the musical group is nominated for Best Sort and in The ideal Option category for "Shy Away," a far less euphoric, slightly more fidgety tune from the album.


As they told MTV News ahead of the show, their music keeps it up and continues to evolve right alongside the listening habits of their fans, making for a little bit of a cosmic gumbo. "Music listeners are consuming more and faster than ever before, and thus being able to put a label on it and clarify what it is cooperates with the understand how to receive it," Joseph told correspondent Dometi Pongo.


however other than that, it does feel like those [genre] lines keep getting blurred because the years go on. It's something we've routinely loved doing is just: Whatever's exhilarating for us, just do it, and try not to keep those labels in mind."


As for the connection that comes from such sonic exploration? It's certainly a result of plenty of hard work, creativity, and trial and error: "I think we've just noticed a really good relationship with people who listen to our music to where we like to prepare thing and so they like to put their own meaning, or find the meaning," Dun said.


Or, as Joseph simplifies, "It's because we're so hot." Noted. Congrats on the good news, my dude!


The 2021 VMAs are airing live on MTV from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Find the complete list of winners right here and keep up with all the night's biggest VMA moments!