Photos and review by Jennie Book
@jenniebookphotography

Tyler, The Creator is a phenomenon, seeing him live is a whole experience, and if you were in the crowd at Oakland Arena on February 24^th you know what I’m talking about. The Chromakopia World Tour is about 96 worldwide shows long, and Oakland was maybe night 8, so @feliciathegoat has a long road ahead of him, which will also provide many chances for folks to enjoy a night out with three bands, costume changes, hits from many albums, fan fervor, and musical greatness.

The show opened with band Paris Texas bringing the noise, a highlight from them being the song “Everybody’s Safe Until…” and another being the way they interacted and had fun together on Tyler’s second stage.

Next onto the B Stage was Lil Yachty, who a lot of people came for. Yachty’s music is layered and collaborative, influenced lately by jazz and bands like MGMT and Tame Impala. Some kids might say it’s not that deep, it’s just good, but it is that deep because so much thought and collaboration has gone into each of his tracks that it makes his music a whole experience to witness live. In Oakland the crowd was mesmerized– singing, cheering, dancing. He was the perfect opener for Tyler.

When the break after Yachty was over, and the lights went out while people screamed in excitement, Tyler, The Creator came out, awash in green light on the main stage, a stage built from shipping containers with a row of pyro shooting off to backlight his signature Chromakopia mask, suit, and hair. People in their seats lost their minds, the kids on the GA floor pushed together to get as close to him as possible, and Tyler didn’t let up throughout the whole 31 song set that kicked off with “St. Chroma.”

For the next couple of hours, he took the crowd from the main stage, to a catwalk spanning the length of the arena where he rained dollar bills onto the floor below, then over to the B stage, which was set up like a house, complete with couch and record player, where Tyler silently announced which album he’d play tracks from by picking up the vinyl, a super clever way of saying but not saying what was coming up. Tyler switched outfits here in the house too, getting into a bright yellow Barbershop Golf Wang shirt and white socks, cozying into the second part of the evening that gave us “Earfquake” and “Lumberjack,” plus “Dogtooth,” and “Deathcamp” both with alternate intros.

After climbing back onto the catwalk and spending some more time there for “Who Dat Boy” and “WUSYANAME,” Tyler got back to the main stage for the final six songs including “THAT GUY,” “See You Again” and “I Hope You Find Your Way Home.” The final songs felt like a sped up 4^th of July party, with nonstop bursts of fire behind him, paralleling his energy and backdropping his unflagging talent.

It’s great to see a performer who has his hands in a lot of pots, meaning his interests run far and wide– from skateboarding to fashion, to starting the music collective Odd Future– and like Yachty and his vast tableau of influences, Tyler is the same in that all his interests lead to layered and fascinating songs. But in the end, as evidenced by everyone at Oakland Arena, the kids love him and his music and that’s all that really matters.

The Chromakopia tour continues in North America and globally through September 2025 – go get your tickets for a great night of music, and check out chromakopia.com for the latest tour dates and news.