Sifting through his record collection on stage, stopping off to pass comment on the context and history of one, yet never playing it, Tyler, the Creator is one of us. We are all too distracted or moved elsewhere to pick up on what we truly want to hear, to engage with. He makes this part of a very stylish and balanced Chromakopia showcase. Feeding those classics into the setlist is an inevitability for any artist, how you do it, however, is all part of the show. For Tyler, the Creator, it means working towards it, rather than starting or ending with it hovering over the audience without nuance, lacking surprise. The Co-Op Live Arena are in great form for Tyler, the Creator, who himself is an outstanding performer at the top of his game, providing a route through his contemporary material.
Tyler has a showmanship which has been otherwise lost on the big stage. There are all the flashy lights and choreographed, solo moments to be expected of a huge show, but there is heart to every move, sense to all the songs included. Those moments of flipping through the record collection, of finding something for the player not just to please the self but the crowd also, the brain cells all clawing for some shot of dopamine, is brought to life very nicely on the B Stage. A mock-up living room where Tyler shares brief encounters with Andre 3000, selections from his earliest works. It is here he finds comfort to take the mask off, as was the point of Chromakopia, an album which featured plenty of narrative highs and suggestions of breaking down the walls of your own making. Much the same happens at Tyler’s show at the Co-Op Live Arena, and yet he maintains the high quality of his latest record by making it separate from his historied discography.
A hits-laden end feels justified and earned after the heavier, welcome focus on Chromakopia materials. It serves the set brilliantly to have those contemporary pieces in the spotlight, with plenty of fiery blasts and lighting thrills to piece with it. Those moments are extra layers, nothing that will steal focus away from the fantastic performances at the heart of this show. Rah Tah Tah, Sticky, and Take Your Mask Off are magnificent showcases of Tyler not just as a performer, but as a creative, who can sway an audience and maintain a great presence with a natural, infectious energy. There is a likeability at play beyond these songs, lingering above the appearances of record sleeves and Chromakopia suits. Those are special moments which blur well, the urgency of the message never overshadowed by the spectacle.
Listeners are all the better for that focus on Chromakopia. Those songs are some of Tyler’s very best. Thought I Was Dead and Like Him are just as strong, if not better, than See You Again and I Hope You Find Your Way Home. A literal invitation to his living room makes an arena feel like home, challenging enough when the mosh pits below are trying and failing to find the right drop. A solid attempt, troops, but no dice. An extraordinary show can be found on the Chromakopia tour. There is a confidence in the album material which would have a lesser performer shy away from, relying on the hits of the past. Tyler has no interest in that, and what brief flashes he has for it are within the context of a story which develops Chromakopia that much further. An outstanding performance with depths beyond its music.
