Tyler, the Creator Creates Painstaking Originality on Igor Tour
A single spotlight appears on a silver-metallic sheet on the State Farm Arena stage in time with the monotonous hum of the opening song of Tyler, the Creator’s “Igor”. The crowd absolutely erupts as it’s obvious what’s to come. Slowly, Tyler steps onto the stage in a pale green seersucker suit and the legendary bleach-blonde wig. He looks directly at the audience, raises the microphone to his mouth slowly, and begins to sing the lyrics. This is the beginning of one of the oddest, most intense concerts I have ever experienced.
On a whim, I had the opportunity of attending the Atlanta show of Tyler, the Creator’s Igor tour at State Farm Arena. Although I do consider myself to be a fan, it would be a gross overstatement to say that he’s my favorite artist of all. However, after a connection to free box tickets fell into place, there was no way I couldn’t go. Along with three great friends, I entered State Farm Arena that night brimming over with excitement and smiles.
Tyler brought out two opening bands, Goldlink and Blood Orange. I wasn’t too familiar with either of them, however, the enthusiasm the crowd had for just being minutes away from seeing their favorite artist was enough to make any song the bands performed sound incredible.
Unfortunately, though, Tyler himself didn’t come out on stage until much later. The concert technically started at 7:00, and he didn’t walk out until 9:20. This wasn’t absolutely shocking, as this happens at a lot of concerts, but pretty irritating.
With that being said, once he did come out on stage, everyone forgot about the wait immediately. For the next hour and twenty minutes, Tyler Okonma flailed, screamed, and flung himself about the State Farm Arena stage in the pursuit of the once-had love of a boy who has driven him absolutely mad.
Hits off of the Igor album like “EARFQUAKE,” “I THINK,” and “A BOY IS A GUN” were performed with such raw emotion it brought tears to the audience members’ eyes. On a gentler note, it personally reminded me of the many summer days I spent listening to the album, and with each track came a new rush of nostalgia.
Out of the entire concert, I found myself in awe over the visuals used. A personal favorite was a bit in which Tyler stood center stage marching in front of dozens of clones projected behind him. Each song brought new colors and a new aura in terms of lighting design, something that can sometimes be rare for concerts.
When Tyler announced that the time had come for the last song, “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?”, I was in complete disbelief that the entire concert had just occurred. As the slow track reached its final chorus, Tyler slowly rose above the crowd on a platform facing upstage, signaling his departure in the most climactic moment of the show.
As I left the arena, many thoughts swarmed my mind, but one stood out; Tyler, the Creator is doing something that few musicians of today have done. He has single-handedly attracted a diverse collection of fans, created a sound of his own, expressed the lovesick feelings of many, and kept his own artistic flair throughout it all work. Tyler is not just making music; he is making art.
By Annie Levy