Tyler, The Creator Sells Out MSG

Ryan Jones, Sports Editor

Tyler, The Creator ditched his usual green cap for a Beatle-esque platinum wig during his “IGOR” tour. Aside from his dancing, Tyler went to work selling out crowds and bringing the sounds of his 2019 album to the stage.

In “IGOR,” Tyler’s sixth full-length album, he details the classic tale of love lost while still showing signs of his energetic self. While Tyler opens up to his fans in this new album, he made himself a bit of a character for the album’s tour.

Tyler made a stop at Madison Square Garden in September, selling out the historic New York venue for the first time in his career. Goldlink and Jaden Smith opened for the Odd Future star, the latter proclaiming Tyler his boyfriend as he introduced him to the crowd.

The self-proclaimed “Igor” had a bit of a cold open to the show, standing dead-still before the crowd in a bright pink and red suit with no shirt under his blazer. His white Doc Marten’s illuminated the stage as the bright lights bounced off of them. The album’s opener, an instrumental synth driven track, blared through the speakers at MSG.

Behind his black diva shades, the singer held a deadpan stare towards the audience, but as soon as the opening song’s beat dropped, the show really got under way. Lights flashed as Tyler spastically leaped from one side of the stage to the other, having just as much fun (and sweating just as much) as a fan in the moshpit that night.

He continued the show with new renditions of his songs from “Igor,” including a stripped down version of “EARFQUAKE,” the album’s hit single. Tyler sat behind a white grand piano, quietly laying down the chords he wrote as the audience quickly joined in to cover the vocals, an impromptu anthem of the night from the crowd.

Tyler mixed in a rendition of “911/Mr. Lonely” in between “IGOR” songs, teasing a possible appearance from Frank Ocean as he replayed his segment of the song twice. Ocean was in attendance for the show, spotted amongst the fans in MSG’s pit.

After some more performances from his new album, Tyler treated his fans with a deep dive into the classics of his catalogue.

The New York crowd exploded as the hypnotic “Yonkers” beat echoed through the arena. He followed it up with “She,” another song off his second album “Goblin.” Though years separated the release of “Goblin” and “IGOR,” the lyrics to both album’s songs alike could be heard as the crowd joined in to sing along.

After teasing an appearance from Ocean, the halfway mark of the show saw with it Tyler bringing out his first, and only, guest of the night.

“Who Dat Boy” started out the same as the other songs, Tyler spitting his verse as the crowd eagerly rapped it back to him. Then, the pyrotechnics came. The song’s beat looped for a minute, then shots of fire lit up the side of the stage as A$AP Rocky came out to the most deafening applause of the night. This was Rocky’s first New York appearance after his stint in Swedish prison. The two embraced in a brotherly hug as the song ended, the only music playing behind them being the applause of the fans.

Tyler closed out the night with “IGOR”s closer “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?” He thanked the sold-out audience gathered to see him, humbly admitting “I didn’t think I would sell out Madison Square Garden this soon, all by being myself.”