Semaj McLeod
Tyler the Creator shared steering sentiments early into his set on night 2 of his sold-out CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST TOUR in NYC.
“Almost 8 years ago to this day, I was arrested after my set at South by Southwest, for inciting a riot in the crowd. 8 years later I’m selling out MSG on back-to-back nights – life is beautiful man.”
Teezo Touchdown, Vince Staples and Kali Uchis Reflect Tyler’s Diversity & Evolution
Tyler, show openers Teezo Touchdown, Vince Staples, and the amazing Kali Uchis set the mood for his show. The three acts reflecting a unique style that Tyler the Creator incorporates into his own music. For Tezzo and Vince, their hype and at times introspective rap styles mirror Tyler’s evolution throughout the years. Frequent collaborator and opener Kali Uchis had an almost ethereal stage presence, moving like a goddess and cycling through a medley of her hits that had the whole crowd in awe.
Tyler the Creator Captures The Senses In Auditory & Visual Extravaganza
After a conversion break worthy of his elaborate stage setup, Tyler emerged wearing his signature fuzzy hat and put on a show. The scene was set with two stages along with a replica of a huge house, a deluxe Rolls Royce, and a luxury speedboat in the middle of the crowd, which he used to travel between stages.
Tyler came out on fire, performing hits like “LUMBERJACK” which includes the lines “MSG SELLOUT” (emphasized by Tyler during his performance), “WUSYANAME” featuring NBA YoungBoy and “CORSO” from his most recent, and highly praised album Call Me If You Get Lost. He then sailed (on his speedboat), across the general admission crowd to his second stage, where he started an address to the crowd.
Tyler started his speech addressing those who make music to “do numbers” as opposed to making music they actually like and enjoy, something he frequently talks about in interviews, reflective of his 2019 spat with DJ Khaled. Then followed up by telling the crowd to “stay on their shit” and become their own biggest fan which got a huge rise out of the audience. He continued to talk about his growth as not only an artist but as a person, due to his father figure Clancey and his friend, Frank Ocean (who was spotted in attendance). Tyler then segued into some of his older songs like “IFHY”, “Yonkers”, “RUSTY”, “Bimmer”, “Smuckers” and “She”, featuring the aforementioned Frank Ocean.
Tyler then cruised back in his boat to the main stage, singing “I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE” (my personal favorite), and then performed a few songs from his critically acclaimed album IGOR, including “Earfquake” featuring Playboi Carti, when he let the whole crowd sing because he needed a sec to breathe. He closed out the show with “RUNITUP”, grabbed his signature briefcase off the stage, walked through the stage prop set house, and waved goodbye.
Tyler’s performance on stage expertly captured the imagery and visual concepts that are depicted while listening to the album. The performance was an auditory and visual feat – a treat for both the eyes and the ears – with an exhilarating command of both senses. Tyler’s Call Me If You Get Lost tour is a guaranteed thrill and is not to be missed by serious fans of the culture.
