Tyler, the Creator @ Merriweather Post Pavilion [DC] - 9/21/2019
Tyler, the Creator at Merriweather Post Pavilion (Photo by Hailey Collins)
It’s safe to say there has been a lot of excitement surrounding Merriweather’s Tyler the Creator show since it was announced in early June. The event even caused high school students whose homecoming dance was scheduled for the same evening to petition to have their dance rescheduled. After debuting No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200, Tyler’s IGOR has been his most positively received album to date. Tyler brought IGOR to Merriweather Post Pavilion on September 21st.
Tyler emerged from a metallic curtain, standing dead center stage in a bright spotlight. Dressed as IGOR, a getup that included a platinum blond wig, gray suit, and funky sunglasses, he stood frozen throughout as “IGOR’S THEME,” blasted over the PA, letting the audience sing most of the song, ending it with eccentric dancing and an echoing shriek. This manic energy saturated the entire show as he went from jumping around with explosive energy to starkly gazing out at the massive, platinum-wig-sprinkled crowd with only a moment's notice between the two extremes.
After “NEW MAGIC WAND,” a blue curtain dropped from behind Tyler, revealing several overlapping layers of white ropes that were illuminated with projections. Tyler sat at a piano to perform “EARFQUAKE,” doing an entire instrumental version before diving into the album version, and letting the crowd enthusiastically sing while he danced and threw in the occasional “What?”
After “EARFQUAKE,” Tyler asked, “Where the fuck am I right now?” exclaiming that he had been told he was in DC, Baltimore, and Columbia. “If I’m in Columbia, just say yes as a unit.” The audience confirmed. “I didn’t think there was this many people in this city,” he laughed, referring to the packed crowd, from the barricade to the back of the lawn. Then Tyler dove into songs from earlier albums including “911,” “OKRA,” “Boredom,” and “IFHY.” Before finishing the night with “See You Again” and “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?” Tyler said, “I fucking hate amphitheaters, bro, but you all really changed my mind, so thank you for real.”
Tyler is joined on tour by Jaden Smith. Jaden, like Tyler, has also created alter egos to explore his latest two album concepts. He opened his set by performing “P,” “I”, “N,” and “K,” from his most recent album, Erys, which is a direct complement to his previous album, Syre. Jaden brought hype energy throughout his entire set while pink and blue-tinted images of LA played on a massive screen behind him. He even shaved his head on stage at one point. Erys is out now from MSFTSmusic and Roc Nations Records.
