Everyone who packed PPG Paints Arena to see Tyler Okonma, also known as Tyler, the Creator perform during his stop in Pittsburgh for his “CHROMAKOPIA World Tour” quite literally “felt the light” and “felt the fire” right as the show started.
Performing in the steel city for the first time in over five years, Okonma’s performance matched everything his fans should expect when seeing him live. Over-the-top visuals, pyrotechnics, moving stage pieces and plenty of room for the rap powerhouse to dance around.
Last time Tyler was in Pittsburgh, he performed at Stage AE when his mega hit “IGOR” was new. He was supposed to perform in 2022 at the Petersen “Pete” Events Center in Oakland for the “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST TOUR,” but that show was ultimately canceled a week before the scheduled date for logistical reasons and what may have been problems with the venue.
While some fans of the former Odd Future front-runner may have still been slightly soured by the abrupt cancellation, his knockout performance is the perfect apology for what happened in 2022.
It should be no surprise to know that Okonma started his part of the concert with the first song from “CHROMAKOPIA,” “St. Chroma.” The moment the main stage lit up green, the crowd did not hold back its excitement at all.
There is a strange phenomenon with crowd behavior at concerts in Pittsburgh: either the crowd all collectively stands around motionless while staring at the performer or the crowd does the absolute most, making Pittsburgh look “extra” compared to other cities. Western Pa. did the latter, with Tyler himself remarking how good the crowd was – openers Paris Texas and Lil Yachty echoed similar sentiment.
Okonma talked to the crowd early into the show, saying he was happy to be back in such a special place and even gave a tribute to the late Mac Miller.
“Last time I was in the city, he drove me around and it was great,” Okonma said. “I’m just happy to be back, so I’m going to dedicate tonight’s performance to my friend Mac Miller.”
While the hits from “CHROMAKOPIA” such as “Noid,” “Judge Judy,” and “Sticky” were all done live so well that you’d want to scream so loud you lose your voice, equally as incredible were the moments where Okonma performed some classics from his discography.
For one, Okonma’s transition from the main stage that often rained down sparks and strobe lights onto him to a small stage set up like a bedroom was creative and on-brand. Okonma would signal to the crowd which album he would go from next by flipping through vinyl record albums and then stopping at where he wanted to perform a song from, gauging the crowd’s reactions.
After a record was picked, he would place it onto a record player in the middle of the small stage being run through a vintage amplifier – possibly a Technics.
Each song chosen had plenty of visual effects and lights to go with it, no matter how random the choices seemed. Multiple songs from “IGOR” and “Flower Boy” were played, but the most surprising choice was “Yonkers” from one of Okonma’s first albums, “GOBLIN.” He has stated in the past that he hates performing the song, but he seemed to be having fun.
Openers Paris Texas and Lil Yachty also held impressive performances, where the former was able to get a hyperactive mosh pit going on the floor, with each member of the alternative hip-hop group showing bewilderment over how quickly Pittsburgh got hyped.
Thankfully, there were few problems caused by the crowd. The main issue that brought plenty of unwanted attention to a troll was someone being disruptive and yelling during what was supposed to be a moment of silence for the late Juice WRLD at the request of Lil Yachty. However, this person was quickly met with the stark condemnation of thousands booing them and Lil Yachty theorizing that the disruptive person wears dirty clothes.
It’s no wonder that Okonma and his openers were able to get the stadium so full – a much larger venue than Stage AE, where Okonma performed during both of his last trips to Pittsburgh. As the artist grows, so does the size of the stadium and perhaps so does the number of fireworks that go off during his performances.
