Highlights of the Tame Impala Slow Rush Tour

On Tuesday, September 28th, Kevin Parker, the genius behind the music project, Tame Impala, played their 10th live show of The Slow Rush tour. Because this was their first tour since the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy level of the crowd was high as thousands of fans piled up outside waiting for the doors to open. When the concert finally started, my heart raced as my friends and I pushed our way to the front. We arrived at the concert at 8, and although we had to wait until 9:30 to see the main act, they absolutely did not disappoint. 

Starting the show off strong, Kevin played two fan favorites. First, he played “One More Year,” the title track of The Slow Rush, which is one of their more laid back and mellow songs, so when the next song, “Borderline,” started playing, the liveliness of the crowd went from a 5 to a 10 in a matter of seconds. After the opening songs, Kevin took a moment to express his appreciation for the fact that he was able to be back on tour after such a difficult year, and his gratitude showed through his enthusiasm on stage and his engagement with the crowd. 

Judging by the setlists from their previous performances, I was not sure if the band would play my personal favorite song, “Posthumous Forgiveness,” but to my surprise, it was one of the first songs that they played. I was left speechless by not only the heavenly vocals and instrumentals, but also by the visually stimulating graphics. The bright red lights illuminated the entire stadium, complete with lasers projecting through the crowd and creating a sort of optical illusion. The visuals matched perfectly with the psychedelic music, producing a dream-like atmosphere. 

From there, the visuals of the concert only got better. Diverging from his songs on The Slow Rush, Kevin Played lots of throwbacks from his other albums, Currents and Lonerism. The ones that really seemed to ignite the crowd were “Elephant,” “Apocalypse Dreams,” and “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards,” a few of their biggest hits. The songs by themselves were amazing to see live, but the rainbow lights combined with the hallucinatory visuals playing on the screen behind him heavily enhanced my aesthetic experience. 

As the concert began to wind down, he played “Eventually,” a slower, more tranquil song, and one of my favorites from the album Currents. But just as the crowd’s energy began to deteriorate, he picked it back up for the encore, where he played “One More Hour,” and “The Less I Know The Better,” which is one of his most well-known songs. Naturally, he went all out for the last few songs, and completed this riveting performance with a confetti cannon shooting into the crowd. 

By the end of the concert, which did not end until about 11:30 pm, I was covered in confetti, sweating excessively, and my feet were practically numb, but I had only good things to say about the concert. I even have a newfound appreciation for a music group that I already loved so much. Based on my experience at the concert, I would highly recommend seeing Tame Impala live.

By Sophia Sanders