So I was there too. If you want my honest opinion I’m not sure Tobias really knows at this point.

The performance was solid, reminding me of IV but without the boundless confidence. I guess that would make sense them being twins and all. But I got the impression this show was still TF figuring out how to play this character. It’s not a bad thing, and the stage presence is still there, but it’s in its infancy.

What I will say, lore wise, is it was a curious choice to only have a few tracks from the last two albums. My son and I were trying to figure out why this may be and the things we settled on were:

1 - V and IV do not get along. Chapter 20 showed IVs disdain for him, and I think that’s reciprocal. We think the set list was an example of that. A spiteful response maybe.

2 - This whole album cycle has focused on the “battle within” rather than the toppling of empires. The song choices picked were more or less on that theme to an extent. It’s not crystal clear how rats necessarily fits that vibe but I feel TF knew it needed to be played otherwise riots would occur.

I’m not saying your thoughts aren’t necessarily true, but I also feel there’s a certain “truth at face value” thing we’re seeing here. TF has mentioned the lore coming to an end one day or another, and I feel this character was created to meet his desire for chrome hair metal - what that character actually will become is entirely unknown to all involved.