Under flashing neon lights and mixing colors, Tyler, the Creator’s Chromakopia Tour transforms a simple, bland venue into a work of art. People of all ages – teens, adults, and more – flood the space forming huge crowds of hundreds. Buzzing anticipation explodes as the lights dim and the track starts emerging beneath the excited screams of fans. With the concert starting, and all voices in unison, this set becomes less like a performance and more like a full-body experience.
Tyler, the Creator is a Grammy-winning American rapper, singer, producer, director and fashion designer. With seven solo albums all released between 2011 to now, he has displayed a diverse discography within all of his pieces. Being a more mainstream artist now, a variety of people enjoy his music, both new and old.
In 2024, his newest album, Chromakopia, was released on Oct. 28 through Columbia records. This album quickly gained traction from many old fans, and even brought in many new enjoyers of his music as well. With 14 different tracks and numerous features with artists such as Doechii, Lil Wayne, GloRilla, Sexyy Red and Daniel Caesar. The album takes on a hip-hop vibe, with lyrics based on his experiences growing up in Los Angeles and the life lessons he learned from his mother.
Going to 59 different locations throughout 17 countries, the Chromakopia tour started on Feb. 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota, and is set to end on Sep. 5 in Perth, Australia. Although none of the locations include cities in Nebraska, a lot of LSE students have already traveled to a venue where he is holding a concert. The most popular location by far for LSE students was Kansas City, Missouri, with Dever, Colorado, being a close second.
Each of the concerts had a similar structure no matter what location it was at, with a merch stand, two openers (Paris Texas and Lil Yatchy), and two separate stages he would perform on. One stage was a big, green storage container with the Chromakopia logo where he performed all of the songs from Chromakopia. Meanwhile, the other stage where he performed his other songs from the other six albums was decorated like a bedroom with a record player.
Two LSE sophomores, Caiden Krafka and Hunter Davis, went together to the concert in Kansas City. Getting into the concert venue, they decided to get merch before watching the openers.
“We went an hour early and waited probably half an hour to get inside and then took about 2 hours to get merch,” Krafka said. “There were thousands of people, it was very crowded.”
LSE junior Piper Michaud also attended the Kansas City concert with her cousin, a friend, and her girlfriend, getting merch as well.
“The lines were short getting in, but the merch line was extremely long,” Michaud said. “We waited so that my cousin and one of my friends could get merch, causing us to miss both openers.”
With Tyler, the Creator’s concerts, he strives to take it a level up from many other artists. With great performance skills and the ability to engage the crowd often, it makes it enjoyable for any attendee.
“I loved that he actually acknowledged the crowd and Kansas City,” Krafka said. “Some performers just sing and that’s it, but he listened to the crowd.”
“I really like the amount of energy he brings to his shows,” Michaud said. “It’s very fun to watch no matter where you are in the venue.”
Attending concerts such as the ones on the Chromakopia tour is a lot of fun. However, for any concert in general it’s important that you are staying safe, hydrated and following rules to have the best possible experience. These students provide some insight on tips for any further concerts one might go to.
“Don’t damage your ears please bring earplugs,” Davis said. “Water is also essential especially if you stay long after the concert is done.
“Make sure to be kind to everyone around you,” Michaud said. “Stay safe and don’t be scared to tell security if someone is making you feel unsafe.”
