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MUSIC

Tyler, The Creator came with all the vibes at Veterans Memorial Coliseum this past Saturday. The Odd Future frontrunner was on tour for his Grammy nominated album, “Flower Boy”.

This was my first time in the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, but it felt like a smaller Moda Center in almost every sense. It was also my first time ever seeing Tyler perform live, so I was super excited to see if he lived up to the hype and really gives a great show. I’ve seen him in videos and TV shows like we all have, but I wanted to see if the 26 year old Ladera Heights native brought the same energy to the stage. Call it healthy skepticism.

It was hot as Satan’s breath in the morning inside the coliseum. I don’t know if it was due to the amount of bodies packed in the stands, or the fact I was wearing my late grandfather’s heavy rain coat; my only raincoat in one of the rainiest cities in the U.S. Underneath that, I was wearing my favorite “Respect Black Women” hoodie which is also a little thick. I was on public transportation and it was a little cold and rainy so I had to prepare for both occasions.

Odd Future member, Taco was one of the openers for the show. Long Beach representer Vince Staples tore the stage down after Taco. He kept the crowd hype with acclaimed songs like “Norf Norf” and “Blue Suede”. Now the crowd was waiting on Tyler. The music that played while the stage crew got ready for Tyler’s set reminded of me back home, growing up in Mississippi. Stevie Wonder’s “Innervisons” playing as I wipe the crust from my eyes on Saturday mornings, or as I called it, “Cleanup Saturday”. The smell of breakfast intertwined with potpourri and cleaning products gently brush against my nose, letting me know what the mood for the day is. Tyler’s aesthetic has been pretty 70’s soul as of late, so the songs playing like Stevie wonders and other artist of the like was a nice detail in the consistency of theme of his album. Other proof can be found on Tyler’s most recent project, certain tracks from his prior project, and in visuals like “PERFECT”  with Kali Uchis.

Tyler’s set was the perfect compliment to “Flower Boy”. It placed Tyler, also known as “Wolf Haley”,  amongst trees and and seasonal backdrop that changed with the mood of the song he played. One of the trees had “fallen” and it ended up being a stairway for him. Tyler admitted this was his first time playing a venue as big as the coliseum and he was happy to see a solid turnout. He also admitted that the set was “expensive as fuck” so he was glad that crowd liked it. READ MORE