The lights throughout the coliseum go out. Only a single spotlight shines on the metallic curtain on stage. A static sound plays through the air while the crowd starts to roar in excitement. After a few anticipating minutes, he finally walks onto the stage with his blue suit and blonde white bob wig. Tyler, the Creator stands still in the spotlight with his black sunglasses on staring into the crowd. The crowd is erupting with excitement waiting for him to start. Just when we all thought it couldn’t last any longer, the beat drops, the lights dim again, and Tyler begins.

 

Tyler, the Creator who’s real name is Tyler Okonma, is an LA based artist who recently became more well known from the release of his 2017 album ‘Flower Boy’ but to others, for creating and being a part of a collaborative rap group known as ‘Odd Future.’  Tyler’s new album ‘Igor’ was the No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 making Tyler the first solo artist in history to have a No. 1 album that he produced and arranged himself with no co-producers or co-production. ‘Igor’ has also had 8 tracks make it onto the Billboard Hot 100 including ‘EARFQUAKE’ and ‘I THINK.’ 

 

Tyler, The Creator returned to Vancouver on October 15th, 2019. This was my second time seeing Tyler perform at the Pacific Coliseum, but this time it was a sold out show. Goldlink was the opening act and helped hype up the crowd before Tyler came on to the stage. Tyler’s intro is not like any others I’ve seen. There was a static sound being played as he got on stage to stand in the spotlight. The longer he stood there and kept us waiting, the more the crowd went wild. It was a very anticipating moment for everyone until he finally began with ‘IGOR’S THEME’ from his most recent album.

Majority of the songs that Tyler performed are upbeat and wild causing the audience to jump around and form crazy mosh pits. Some of the wildest performances of the night in my opinion had to be ‘Tamale,’ ‘OKRA,’ and ‘Who dat boy.’ Though those performances are enjoyed by most of his fans including myself, my favourite performance was ‘She’ which is also a fan favourite. It is a much mellower song but the energy everyone gave while singing along gave me goosebumps. The most memorable performance of the night was ‘EARFQUAKE’ where he started the beginning of the song playing the piano and ended with acapella while the audience sang and clapped with him. For the fans like me who’ve already seen him live before, it was a very different performance than we’re used to and many might not have expected it. Tyler ended the night with two calmer songs, ‘See you again’ and ‘ARE WE STILL FRIENDS.’ It was the perfect way to wrap up a crazy and fun night leaving everyone in a good mood. 

Tyler, the Creator was once a very controversial artist because of offensive lyrics he had in his songs that led him to being banned in the UK until recently. He has managed to evolve as an artist and release two critically acclaimed albums in the past two years that shows a new side to him. He has become much more respected in the music industry and has definitely become an influence to many new artists today with his music, performances, and contributions to the industry. He will definitely continue to inspire many with his work as the years go on and I am excited to see him grow and evolve more as an artist.