Even though Kevin Parker’s stage presence is probably the most nonchalant out there in the band leader universe, there is nothing nonchalant about experiencing a Tame Impala live show. Not in the slightest. Having seen Tame Impala absolutely dominate Victoria Park as the 2022 All Points East headliner, the expectation for their return in the form of the Deadbeat Tour is beyond high.
Prepared to be obliterated by the hypnotic visuals, the concert kicks off with Tame Impala hits like ‘Apocalypse Dreams,’ ‘The Moment,’ and ‘Borderline.’ In true Tame Impala fashion, the tracks stretch beyond the traditional three-minute song length, giving extra momentum to the captivating lasers and strobe lights. Usually eager to observe the crowd and its emotional response to what brought us all together, I am left gobsmacked, entranced by the visual odyssey.
The psychedelic rock genius Tame Impala reaffirms with each record since its debut, InnerSpeaker, in 2010. Last year’s Deadbeat, its first album in five years, makes you want to yelp, “go off, Kevin.” For the live rendition, Tame Impala curates a perfect setlist featuring hits from the entire discography, with the new material embraced beyond the singles ‘Loser,’ ‘Dracula,’ and ‘End of Summer.’
With the new shift towards electronic, techno-house, halfway through the show, Parker relocates to a small stage on the other side of the arena. The normal scheduled programming gets interrupted by his virtuoso show-off performance behind the decks with ‘Ethereal Connection’ and ‘Not My World.’ It feels like watching the man himself in his living room, creating something that we, the fans, weren’t able to see before, and now we are being let in. Outside of the over-the-board light production, you still can’t look away from the taste of Parker’s homemade rave, pulling us in with a haunting bassline and thrusting tempo.
Though it may seem some audience members are more locked into their conversation than the impromptu DJ set point of the show, I more than appreciate witnessing this side of Parker and Deadbeat’s electronic sidequest.
For the mega popular ‘Elephant,’ ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards,’ ‘Let It Happen,’ ‘Eventually,’ ‘New Person, Same Old Mistakes,’ no matter how many times you hear them, it never stops feeling rapturous. Introducing ‘Afterthought’, no one expected Dua Lipa to step on the stage and start singing along casually.
With dropped jaws, the audience, including me, is stunned with absolute shock and utter excitement. Before we can catch our breath and enjoy the moment, they start performing ‘Houdini,’ which Parker produced; something probably no one in the arena had in their bingo cards for the evening.
Closing the show with a splendid trio of tracks, ‘My Old Ways,’ ‘The Less I Know The Better’ and ‘End Of Summer,’ Tame Impala will forever be a must-see concert and a show I will gladly be returning to with each tour. Across a two-hour-long setlist, Tame Impala pulls off a remarkable multi-sensory experience that is not overwhelming but joyful, musically magnificent, authentic to Kevin Parker’s laid-back demeanor, yet abundant with perfectly calculated visual details that will be hard to beat. Carrying confetti memorabilia in my pocket, phone case, and probably in my hair, Tame Impala supports the argument that going to a concert is always a good idea, even when you had a week from hell.
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Words: Karolina Kramplova
Photographer: Colt Grice