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Review: Tyler, the Creator

Tyler, the Creator’s alter ego character “Igor” sold out Express Live in Columbus with his biggest and most elaborate tour yet. Tyler is a true creative genius and innovator, which is apparent by his ability to constantly take risks, try new concepts and consistently release high quality music, with each album standing on its own. For this tour the visuals are taken to another level, with Tyler playing the character “Igor”, wearing a platinum blonde wig, neon suit, and remaining alone on the stage with a white piano for the entire show. This whole aesthetic seems to be an art piece on its own similar to the music video themes for the albums single “Earthquake”. It is a really interesting to watch the media empire Tyler has created for himself over the last 10 years, with everything from OFWGKTA, three television shows, Camp Flog Gnaw, his successful fashion brand GOLF, and fifteen sneaker collaborations to his name. 

The setlist for the Igor tour is mostly centered around the new album, with only a couple old songs sprinkled in to acknowledge the past. When Tyler performs an old song like “Yonkers” he seems to taunt the crowd for liking the “Old Shit”, while simultaneously being thankful that his fans respect his entire music catalog. For other tours artists are almost obligated to play a 50/50 mixture of new and old music, but with an artist like Tyler it seems he grows and evolves so fast he doesn’t have time to stay in the past. “Igor” is an amazing new album that has many excellent singles and memorable moments. “Igors Theme” is such a strong intro to the album with high production value that it draws listeners in for the ride of the entire album. After that the albums hit single “Earfquake” comes in with beautiful synths, a catchy melody, and lyrics everyone can relate to. During this song Tyler demonstrates skillful piano playing and during the songs climax, the entire stage appears to catch fire, just like in the music video. Some of the best moments from the show include new songs “I Think”, “Running Out of Time”, and “A Boy is a Gun”. 

The crowd interaction and energy for these new school rap concerts is so intense and rowdy it rivals some of the biggest metal and punk bands. The crowd was jammed into the pit at Express Live and there were extreme amounts of crowd movement during the entire show. I don’t think it’s considered a mosh pit any when the entire crowd is crashing into each other. 

Tyler’s influence on fashion is apparent by the way the line for the merch booth was longer than what you would see outside of the Supreme store, with fans patiently waiting to get their hands on a GOLF jacket or Igor shirt that will gain them automatic scene points with their peers. Igor was Tyler’s first number 1 record, he is consistently selling out large venues, so there is no limit on where he will go next. 

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