Twenty One Pilots, 2021
Mason Castillo/PressTwenty One Pilots’ frontman Tyler Joseph has compared touring during COVID to the quest undertaken in The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring in a pre-show speech.
Speaking to the crew before their first show at Milwaukee’s Summerfest at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, Tyler Joseph used a quote from the film to describe how vulnerable touring during a pandemic still is. Watch it below
“I’ll make this quick. This is happening. We’re actually going to be playing shows. I could not help but think of one of my favourite quotes from one of my favourite movies, Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring,” he said.
“Galadriel says ‘This quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail’.
“Why am I telling you that,” he continued, “Well, we’re not in the clear. I know that you guys know there’s a lot of risk involved in going and playing shows right now.”
Sharleen Spiteri joined BBC Radio 2’s The Sara Cox Breakfast Show ahead of Texas taking the stage to launch the main live music programme at Radio 2 in the Park in Stirling.
Checking in from rehearsals, the Texas frontwoman spoke about getting ready for the band’s opening performance at City Park. Radio 2’s annual flagship festival takes place there from 11 to 13 September 2026. "I’m match fit because I’ve had a couple of days’ rehearsals," Spiteri said. "We’re kicking the whole weekend off, which we’re very much looking forward to, so everybody’s got to get ready to party."
Before the live acts take over, Friday’s DJ Pre-Party gets the weekend started with Radio 2 favourites Sara Cox, DJ Spoony, Gary Davies, Michelle Visage, and Rylan behind the decks.
Jo Whiley helped set the mood with a special programme from Stirling’s Tolbooth venue. Working with BBC Introducing Scotland, the broadcast put the spotlight on Scotland’s emerging music scene through performances and conversations with Fright Years, Alice Faye, and James Emmanuel.
Fright Years, a four member band from Edinburgh, played "Never Been Wrong" and offered their take on Simple Minds’ "Waterfront." Glasgow singer and songwriter Alice Faye, the BBC Introducing in Scotland 2026 winner, paired "Some Brief Encounter" with a rendition of Lulu’s arrangement of "I Started a Joke." James Emmanuel, who was born in Nigeria and now lives in Edinburgh, sang "Brothers & Sisters" before taking on Chaka Khan’s "I’m Every Woman."
"We’re all about celebrating BBC Introducing and all the music that’s come out of Scotland," Whiley told listeners. "It's about celebrating the local music scene and the incredibly important work that BBC Introducing does to support independent, up-and-coming artists."
Joining the conversation were Stephanie Cheape, presenter of BBC Introducing in Scotland, Tara McLoughlin, venue manager for Stirling Council, and student radio presenters representing the University of Stirling’s Air3 Radio.
Listeners can catch the complete interviews and live performances from the weekend’s programmes on BBC Sounds.
