Twenty One Pilots, one of the headliners of the 2022 edition of Electric Castle Festival in Transylvania, started their show with a special surprise act in collaboration with the Netflix series, STRANGER THINGS. The fans enjoyed one of their most popular songs, Heathens, blended with the STRANGER THINGS universe, and performed live for the first time in Romania.
The concept was based on one of the most important themes of STRANGER THINGS. The fact that music has the power to save people because it can trigger their best memories and help escape from Vecna’s entrapment. One of the scariest characters from the series, Vecna is a fearsome creature that can take over the mind and the body and drag anyone into his mind lair. However, the band’s themes and lyrics cover topics similar to those in the show, such as the struggle of growing up, not fitting in/ being an outcast and dealing with emotions. The two worlds are truly connected, and the fans spotted the similarities between the band’s songs and the show’s theme song.
About the performance:
The special act started with a projection of the famous scene from the series which illustrates Vecna while trying to pull Max in The Upside Down until she puts her headphones on. Then the audience saw on the screens the message: music has the power to save everyone. Then the STRANGER THINGS theme could be heard growing into the Heathens song.
Behind-the-Scenes Details and Easter Eggs from STRANGER THINGS 4:
· For the new California setting, the Duffer Brothers were heavily influenced by Spielberg’s 1982 film E.T. But the film was a key inspiration for STRANGER THINGS from the start — they listened to John Williams’ score for E.T. while writing the pilot episode for the first season.
· When Lucas plays on the Hawkins basketball team, he wears a number eight jersey, which is a nod to Kobe Bryant’s first jersey number. Actor Caleb McLaughlin is a huge fan of Bryant and had the idea to pay tribute to the late sports icon through his character’s jersey.
· Both the overall Hellfire Club storyline and especially the character Eddie Munson were inspired by the documentary series PARADISE LOST. Eddie is loosely modeled after writer and artist Damien Echols, who was a member of the West Memphis Three.
· Eddie’s beloved guitar is a B.C. Rich Warlock. It was originally black, but the props team gave it a red crackle finish to more closely mimic the colors of the Upside Down.
About STRANGER THINGS:
Since its release in 2016, the global phenomenon STRANGER THINGS has garnered over 65 award wins and 175 award nominations, including those from the Emmys, Golden Globes, Grammys, SAG, DGA, PGA, WGA, BAFTA, a Peabody Award, AFI Program of the Year, the People’s Choice Awards, MTV Movie & TV Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and many others. The three-time Emmy Award Nominee for Best Drama is one of Netflix’s most-watched titles, with Season 3 amassing 582 Million view hours ranking as the 2nd Most Popular English-language series in the Netflix Top 10. STRANGER THINGS was created by The Duffer Brothers and is produced by Monkey Massacre Productions & 21 Laps Entertainment. The Duffer Brothers serve as executive producers on the series, alongside Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps Entertainment, Iain Paterson, and Curtis Gwinn.
About Netflix:
Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with 221 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries, feature films and mobile games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.
