If you’re going to play arenas, why not go big? For the first of two sold-out nights at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, Kevin Parker, the man behind Tame Impala, transformed the arena into an art installation of sorts where the visual production was every bit as captivating as the music.
The centerpiece was an ambitious in-the-round stage crowned by a movable circular screen and lighting array that rose and descended throughout the evening. Combined with sweeping lasers, the moving structure seemed to breathe with the music at times, perfectly complementing Parker’s signature blend of neo-psychedelia and danceable synth-pop. Rather than overwhelming the songs, the production enhanced them, creating a dreamlike atmosphere that became the show’s defining feature.
The circular stage also brought the audience closer to the performance. Parker made excellent use of the design, circling the perimeter to perform to different sections of the arena. While a touring band recreates the music live, Parker writes, performs, records and produces virtually every note heard on Tame Impala’s studio albums himself. His understated stage presence contrasted sharply with the production surrounding him, allowing listeners to lose themselves in the experience.
That relaxed demeanor bordered on sleepy at times, and perhaps intentionally so. Parker appeared in loose pajama pants, a T-shirt, and a lightweight sweater vest that looked better suited to a quiet evening at home than a sold-out arena. Midway through the set, the concert leaned fully into that concept. Cameras followed Parker backstage as he casually made a bathroom stop, earning cheers after washing his hands, before emerging at a small B stage nestled among the audience.
Leaning into the bedroom origins of his early recordings, the intimate platform featured keyboards and electronic equipment surrounding a cluster of floor pillows, lit by four household lamps that would shortly synchronize with the music. Parker sat among the cushions experimenting with sounds before eventually reclining on a pillow, singing directly into an overhead camera under a high spotlight. It was an unusual detour that hinted at the solitary creative environment where Tame Impala’s music is born.
The energy climbed considerably during selections from Parker’s landmark 2015 album, Currents. Crowd favorites such as “Elephant” and “Let It Happen” generated the evening’s biggest reactions through the sets before a stellar encore featuring “Dracula,” “The Less I Know the Better,” and “End of Summer.”
While the unconventional staging sacrificed a clearer view of the band, the combination of Parker’s singular artistic vision and one of the year’s most imaginative lighting productions made Tame Impala’s return to Atlanta feel less like a rock concert than a dream rendered in sound and light. Parker’s night one at State Farm Arena was immersive, unconventional and wonderfully eccentric.
Main Stage:
B-Stage
Main Stage
Encore
Djo (pronounced Joe) is the artist name of Joe Keery, for now, at least, better known as Steve Harrington on Netflix’ Stranger Things. They started the evening “Awake,” a building grungy song that belied any “TV celebrity goes pop” misconceptions. But popular he is. Immediately afterward, he yelled “Hey!” to the crowd, and the crowd responded, loudly, “Hey!” It was obvious that this wasn’t just an opener, but an opener the audience was excited to see and hear.
Only three albums in, Djo had a great mixture of songs. One that caught notice was “Charlie’s Garden,” which has a decidedly Beatles feel, which Joe added he had written while in Atlanta. The biggest song was the closer, “End of Beginning,” which had a viral Tik-Tok audience and is approaching 3 billion streams on Spotify. The audience knew every word. Djo was a great opener, and he was visible engaging the audience as he roamed the perimeter of the “in-the-round” staging, though it was unfortunate that the set-up essentially left his friends/bandmates playing to each other in a circle without much visibility to the audience.
Setlist:
