American solo artist and producer Tyler, the Creator performed to a full house on Feb. 10 at the San Diego Pechanga Arena along with eye-catching openers Teezo Touchdown, Vince Staples, and Kali Uchis to excite fans for the debut of his new album and tour “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST.”
Born Tyler Gregory Okonma, Tyler started out as a young artist uploading music on Tumblr and entering the industry as a part of the alternative hip-hop collective Odd Future. At the start of his career, he lived up to his name through his shameless approach to creation – experimenting with harsh sounds, explicit lyrics and disturbing images in his music.
From his early productions of “Goblin” and “Wolf” to his later projects of “Flower Boy” and “Igor,” Tyler’s growth as an artist can be seen through the personas surrounding each album and his current portrayal of the stage character Sir Baudelaire.
Over the years, his past musical personas have slowly pieced together multiple themes and nuances from each album.
Beginning with the album “Bastard” in 2009, his portrayal of Ace, Dr. TC and himself created a theme that was confined and personal – sharing his aggression towards the world and lack of a father figure.
This was followed by his 2010 album “Goblin,” which centered itself in an asylum where Tyler builds the connection between his alter egos taking place in his mind through the character Tron Cat. Then, his album “Wolf” in 2012, revolved around the characters Sam and Wolf Haley, creating a storyline of violence and hostility masking insecurity.
Along with the progression of his music, Tyler began to move away from these violent alter egos and pursue different storylines in his albums such as, “Flower Boy” in 2017 and “Igor” in 2019 that illustrate his journey of self-discovery and feelings of unrequited love.
Yet, what sets his new persona as Sir Baudelaire apart from his earlier music is how this character represents where Tyler currently is in his musical career – rather than a pawn in a fictional story, his new album showcases himself in an authentic way.
With the show opening with Teezo Touchdown, fans were captivated by the introduction of this new, rising artist, who was followed by American rapper Vince Staples performing popular tracks such as “ARE YOU WITH THAT,” “Norf Norf” and even an unreleased track as a surprise to his fans.
There was a moment of awe, however, as Kali Uchis took the stage in an alluring all-red bodysuit performing a 15-track set for fans, including her top hits “Dead to Me” and “Telepatía.”
When the moment came for Tyler’s performance, it was as if the stage mirrored a scene from a Wes Anderson film – displaying the pastels and symmetry of a two-story Victorian house and a Tiffany blue Rolls-Royce to create the
luxury aesthetic of Sir Baudelaire. In addition to the main stage, Tyler orchestrated his transition to his secondary stage styled as a meadow by boarding a mechanical yacht that mimicked the current of a river in between sets.
Tyler, the Creator brought an eccentric performance on stage not only debuting his new songs from “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST” such as, “CORSO” and “WUSYANAME” but also reminiscing moments from “Goblin,” “Flower Boy,” and “Igor.” In one night, over 16,000 fans were able to soak in the successes of one artist and the musical journey in his becoming of Sir Baudelaire.
During an intermission, Tyler reflected on his career with fans saying, “I told my friend, I was like ‘Yo bro last year felt like my first year doing it, like I just got started last year. He looked at me kinda crazy cause I’ve been doing this professionally for 11 years…I’m 11 years in.”
From making up songs in his bedroom to selling out stadiums, Tyler continues to inspire fans through his music and his ability to take risks as an artist, despite the controversy that surfaces from it. As a token of advice, Tyler urges fans, “don’t not go where you need to go because motherf*ckers think you can’t go there.”
