Igor, Chewing Gum, Crew, and More.
Taya Thornton / Editor / USD Radio
Tyler the Creator
Venue: Pechanga Arena
Concert Date: October 19th
Tyler, the creator, has always been known to push musical normative’s in the completely other direction. He does so on his newest tour- Igor. Tyler has teamed up with musical artists Blood Orange, and GoldLink, to create a new and unique concert going experience. The “Crew” singer kicked off the show with a traditional yet exhilarating rnb/rap show. As orange, yellow, green, and blue lights flashed, the crowd was evidently engaged and excited. Blood Orange was equally as exciting and an intricate way to present Tyler to the crowd. Orange’s set was backed by a live band and screens flashing with classic scenes from movies, music videos, and TV shows. The singer danced across the stage as he performed confidently and sang beautifully. The crowd danced, hummed, sang, and cheered along to each and every song the band sang and strummed on their guitars.
After about an hour and a half of the opening acts, Tyler (to the left) appeared on stage in a neon green two piece suit and blonde bowl-cut wig. This look is known as his alternate personality, the title of his latest album- “Igor”. There was not a single moment the entire crowd wasn’t perfectly reflecting every lyric he sang. People of all ages, race, and genders flooded the floor of Pechanga Arena to celebrate Tyler’s artistic sounds. He spazzed, not so much danced, across the stage while lights, clouds, images of himself, and even fire surrounded him. During the times he interacted with the crowd he showed his enthusiastic and playful character as he poked fun at the concert goers.
Tyler played mostly songs off his latest album tour title Igor, and towards the end played many songs from old albums such as Cherry Bomb, Wolf, and Flower Boy. Throughout the night he took many pauses between songs as he stood there in awe of his apparent success. The rise to fame was sudden and rapid for Tyler, who at the time was a Starbucks barista. He and a group of friends, such as Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt, started a hip hop collective group called Odd Future and quickly found themselves gaining popularity. While the group is still technically together, touring and creating new music occasionally, many members- including Tyler- began making music alone and gaining their own following. Once Tyler found himself gaining this popularity, his fan base progressed quickly into a somewhat empire. Tyler, the creator, is arguably one of the most recognized and talented hip hop musicians and performers of our day and age. The intricate way he presented his alternate persona, Igor, during the show simply proved and justified the fame and fortune he has acquired working so hard in the music industry. All in all, Igor has easily earned a top ten spot of all the live shows I have experienced and Tyler obviously dedicated all his energy, time, and expertise to this tour.