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Tyler, the Creator<\/strong><\/p>\n Spark Arena, Auckland, NZ<\/strong><\/p>\n Monday, August 18th<\/strong><\/p>\n For Tyler, the Creator<\/a>, whose career now spans three decades and nine albums, there\u2019s plenty\u202c about him that he\u2019s left unsaid, tucked beneath a Golf Wang hat and masked from the public\u202c consciousness.\u202c<\/p>\n His eighth studio album, 2024\u2019s Chromakopia<\/em>, and its namesake global tour marks a new depth to\u202c his vulnerability and how much he\u2019s willing to tell the world. Since February, he\u2019s been lugging a\u202c plethora of newly-revealed personal anecdotes across the globe in a mammoth, emerald green\u202c shipping container with his album\u2019s name slapped on the side.\u202c<\/p>\n In Auckland last night, there was a difference. Historically, both during this tour and past\u202c ones, Tyler\u2019s performances have had more physical properties, such as literal shipping\u202c containers creating an elevated stage, and his military-esque \u201cSt. Chroma\u201d costume, including a\u202c mask of his own face that he metaphorically hides behind.\u202c<\/p>\n But inside Spark Arena, it was a more minimalist experience: two large jumbotrons and a small\u202c stage with a centre runway, where Tyler pranced non-stop for 80 minutes in a monochrome\u202c yellow hat, jacket, and pants combo. Everything felt more simplistic, but for a 13,000-capacity\u202c arena, going propless and maskless for a comparably smaller crowd proved to create a much\u202c more intimate experience.<\/p>\n Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian\/New Zealand music and globally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As the lights went out at 9:25pm, the crowd of largely under-25s roared to life as Tyler climbed\u202c onstage via a small staircase (as opposed to walking out from behind a raising jumbotron) and\u202d broke into album-opener \u201cSt. Chroma\u201d.\u202c<\/p>\n \u202d\u201dIt\u2019s been a long time since I\u2019ve seen you motherfuckers, what\u2019s cracking?\u201d he asked the ocean\u202c \u202dof ushankas, loafers, Polo tees, and preppy looks that he\u2019s inspired over the years.\u202c\u202d Chromakopia<\/em> favourites like \u201cRah Tah Tah\u201d and \u201cNoid\u201d rapidly followed as Tyler\u2019s feet\u202c endlessly slid across the stage.<\/p>\n \u202c\u202dThe concert air became electric as Tyler belted out the marching band-inspired \u201cSticky\u201d before\u202c sitting down, pleading with fans to undertake their own self-exploration through \u201cTake Your Mask\u202c Off\u201d.\u202c<\/p>\n \u202d\u201dIf y\u2019all don\u2019t mind, I\u2019m gonna go through my old records and play some shit\u201d he told the crowd\u00a0as sweat poured through his Petalers hat and leather ensemble, \u201cI wanna play the records\u202c that\u2019ve allowed me to come to places like this.\u201d<\/p>\n A trip down memory lane ensued, as Tyler tore through Igor<\/em>-era hits like \u201cEARFQUAKE\u201d and\u202c \u202d\u201cARE WE STILL FRIENDS?\u201d, broke into deep cuts like \u201cShe\u201d and \u201cIFHY\u201d, and delivered a\u202c\u202d medley of Call Me If You Get Lost<\/em> favourites \u201cLUMBERJACK\u201d and \u201cWUSYUNAME\u201d.\u202c<\/p>\n \u202d A segment everyone had been waiting for, but nobody knew they wanted\u202c mere weeks ago, then came along: a collection of tracks from Tyler\u2019s three-day notice ninth album released in late\u202c July, Don\u2019t Tap the Glass<\/em>.\u202c<\/p>\n While this newer soundtrack doesn\u2019t hold any deeper affirmations or stories of unrequited love, it\u202d carries a simple mindset: dance like the animals we all are, and don\u2019t tap the glass of anyone\u2019s\u202c enclosure \u2014 or your phone screen.\u202c<\/p>\n \u202d\u201dYo Auckland, can you dance tonight?\u201d Tyler asked, as he finished \u201cBig Poe\u201d and took a puff\u202c from his inhaler.\u202c The crowd heeded the request, but nobody moved quite as effortlessly as him as he belted out\u202c hits such as \u201cSugar on My Tongue\u201d, \u201cI\u2019ll Take Care of You\u201d, and \u201cRing Ring Ring\u201d.\u202c<\/p>\n \u202dTyler ushered in the show\u2019s closing moments with \u201cLike Him\u201d, the emotional climax of\u202c Chromakopia<\/em> centred on his fatherless upbringing that carries a heartwrenching twist.\u202c<\/p>\n \u202d\u201cI ain\u2019t from here, I ain\u2019t from anywhere near here, but the fact I could reach this far away\u2026 I\u202c appreciate it so much,\u201d the rapper said with misty eyes. \u201cY\u2019all have a real beautiful\u202c place here, y\u2019all should be so proud.\u201d<\/p>\n \u202dFinally, the show was capped off with fan-favourites \u201cSee You Again\u201d, \u201cNEW MAGIC WAND\u201d, and \u201cI Hope You Find Your Way Home\u201d.\u202c<\/p>\n \u202d\u201cGet home safe, don\u2019t tap the glass, and I hope you find your way home,\u201d Tyler preached as he\u202c\u202d executed his finale, dance-walked back up the runway, and back down the small staircase he\u202c\u202d entered on.\u202c<\/p>\n \u202cWith the omission of tour staples such as \u201cTamale\u201d, \u201cMASSA\u201d and new fan-favourite \u201cStop\u202c Playing with Me\u201d, Tyler\u2019s Auckland set was noticeably shorter. However, there was no\u202c overwhelming sense of longing; no consensus that a lot had been left to be desired.\u202c<\/p>\n As one of the music industry\u2019s biggest advocates for radical authenticity and \u201ctexture\u201d in production and performance, much of Tyler\u2019s success is rooted in his fascinatingly relatable\u202c stories and his boisterous, one-of-a-kind stage presence.<\/p>\n Even without his trademark outfits\u202c and set designs, his exuberant personality and artistry, which in his words has \u201cnever not been\u202c him,\u201d is beyond enough to keep crowds swaying amongst the fingers of his grasp, allowing\u202c him to assuredly leave the mask \u2013 both metaphorically and literally \u2013 at home.\u202c<\/p>\n Tyler, the Creator\u2019s tour now heads to Australia. Ticket information is available here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nLove Music?<\/h2>\n