Can You Feel The Light? Tyler, The Creator Ignites Philadelphia With Two Sold-Out Shows

As a teenager, you probably had an artist you claimed you found. This artist becomes your personality and the explanation for how you act. The discovery happens around middle school, either when your parents are thankful your mumble rap love has passed, or when you can see past the lo-fi production of bedroom pop. For me, and so many other 8th graders looking for an artist to map their transition to high school, the artist is Tyler, The Creator.

There’s nothing particularly unique about being a Tyler fanatic at this stage in his career–he’s been selling out MSG and arenas worldwide since 2019. What is unique is that he offers something for every kid, regardless of their musical background. If you grew up listening to your parents’ favorite gangsta grillz mixtapes, there’s Call Me If You Get Lost. A rock fan can find selections on Cherry Bomb. Igor is there if you’re an R&B lover. If you like it all, that’s when you spin Chromakopia. 

Chromakopia, Tyler’s newest album, ties in all the eras he dabbled in throughout the 2010s for one breathtaking double LP. On July 5 and 6 at The Wells Fargo Center, Tyler performed the record nearly in full to two sold-out crowds for the Chromakopia World Tour. 

The first thing you notice when entering the venue is multiple Chromakopia-green crates stacked on top of each other, opposite a B-stage where the openers would soon perform. First opener, Paris Texas, a rap duo from Los Angeles, did their job with no fluff. They got the crowd moving and opened the first of many moshes that night. Lil Yachty was up next, and while he kept the energy high, he relied on his hits to keep the crowd in tune. By the end of his set, it was clear the crowd was there for Tyler.

Roughly three hours after doors opened, a green hue replaced the house lights, and all that could be heard was the opening lines to the album, “Chromakopia, Chromakopia, Chromakopia, Chromakopia.” Tyler appeared inside the stacked crates, dressed in all green. His vintage trousers overlapped by a custom WWII jacket are forgotten once his daunting mask, worn on the Chromakopia cover, bears the reflection from the extensive pyro. 

Without a break, Tyler runs through the first six songs on Chromakopia. Highlighted by track three, “Noid,” where Tyler had the crowd in his hands. Before wrapping up the first part of his set, he sat down on the green containers, leading the crowd through “Jude Judy.” A tale of losing a lover, and all the moments you reflect on once they’re gone. 

“Jude Judy” transitioned into the only Tyler song to be played at a Rutgers bar, “Sticky.” No longer on the main stage, Tyler moved along a catwalk, dancing and singing along to Lil Wayne, Sexyy Red, and GloRilla’s features. Anyone in the audience who thought a feature-heavy song like “Sticky” had no place on the record was silenced by the time Tyler reached the opposite end of the platform. 

Below the catwalk was a B-stage, decorated with treasures from Tyler’s home: one of his Grammy awards, a box of records, and multiple pairs of Golf Le Fleur dress shoes. The B-stage, appearing as his living room, functioned as a time for him to play his oldies. With a turntable in the center of the stage, Tyler flipped through his record bin, selecting pre-Chromakopia records to drop the needle on and perform.

First up, Igor–no surprise the crowd was excited about this one–it’s often revered as his best album in his fans’ eyes. A surprise came when the needle skipped to “Are We Still Friends.” It was the second live performance of the song since 2019. As the music played, Tyler said, “I’m not sure y’all still know this one,” and was quickly proved wrong.

After removing Igor from the record player, Tyler ran through cuts from Goblin, Wolf, Call Me If You Get Lost, and Flower Boy before returning to the catwalk. These tracks stand out from the rest of the highly produced and cultivated show as a nostalgic moment for both Tyler and the audience. Here, Tyler chops it up with fans and drops the serious persona his Chromakopia character portrays at the start of the show.

A highlight of the B-stage is watching Tyler flip through his records, which include many of his influences. When rifling through the record bin, which includes Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions and Roy Ayers’ Everybody Loves The Sunshine, Tyler pauses to discuss how far his music has come and how there’s no Tyler, The Creator without these legends.

After Tyler returns to the catwalk, a pyrotechnic-filled collection of songs is performed on the main stage, one after another. “Who Dat Boy” and “New Magic Wand” release a fury inside the crowd, leading to half a dozen mosh pits dispersed throughout the floor. 

Once the audience re-settles, Tyler enters his farewell track, “I Hope You Find Your Way Home.” One last moment for long-time fans of Tyler to return to their days as an 8th grader, when they had no idea what “good” music sounded or looked like. The hour-and-a-half celebration of hip-hop comes to a close as the Chromakopia crates consume Tyler, and the house lights come back on.

Tyler, The Creator’s live shows are a gift to the fans. Whether you’ve been a fan since Goblin or Chromakopia, his performances are one-of-a-kind and offer a glimpse into his genius headspace. As the hip-hop genre veers in a direction without an exciting path, acts like Kendrick Lamar and Tyler are keeping the art alive.

Tyler, The Creator’s newest album, Don’t Tap The Glass, is out now.