Tyler, The Creator Flipped Me Off – And I Fell In Love

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According to a Tumblr quiz I took in middle school, my love languages are “quality time” and “physical touch” – but I am questioning those results yet again as I fell in love with a man who flipped me off last night. Thank you, Tyler; I will never forget you. Tyler was in town last night with a squad of icons, and they blew myself and the rest of the Twin Cities away with their unique acts and amazing show collectively – but let’s start from the beginning. 

It was a birthday wish come-true when Tyler’s show was announced for February 20th at the Target Center; I’ve always wanted to see him live, and after seeing the opening acts I now know I want to see them all again because they were all that good! Starting things off was Teezo Touchdown, who is known for their alternative indie vibes as well as eccentric…nail.. hair? (please just look it up). Alongside what was expected to a degree, Teezo brought the energy and enthusiasm for the crowd that was still growing in line-length around the venue. I was just sitting down as Teezo was wrapping up their set, making way for the second opening act – Vince Staples. 

Vince Staples has power dripping from his vocal chords. More than anything last night when I watched them perform, I was thinking “they want this.” It’s not every day you can hear and feel the passion from an artist on stage literally fighting for their lives in front of crowds – and this guy delivered. I wasn’t a fan of Staples before last night, but “Norf Norf” is a new all-time-classic in my book now. What I loved most as an audience member was how Vince was interacting with the crowd on such a personal level that we felt like we were sharing the stage with them. 

Kali Uchis came up next and I’m just going to jump to the point – I fell in love with this woman within a matter of moments. I am a hopeless romantic, yes, but I was not alone in this admiration – Kali’s overall aura was beautiful, and her complimentary dancers were quite literally caressing her all over, only highlighting how sensual this music and act really was. Kali came out with a squad of dancers costumed in such a way that they were anonymous beyond their dance moves, leaving the focus solely on the art they created on top of Kali’s beautiful voice and choreography. While the music might be R&B, I classified this overall work as modern art with a sexy twist – simply sensational!

Tyler didn’t rush out – we had enough time between him and Kali for me to pull out a book and read a few pages between sets and review my show notes; I would imagine this is when most others were using the bathroom or getting food but I’m… Well, I am weird. 

The arena went black with a boom as the lights shut off; the crowd, always stunned at first if just for a moment, responded with an eruption of chants and screams alike. Tyler came out godlike, rising from the middle of the stage in a candy cotton blue Rolls Royce, in front of a seemingly ambiguous mansion backdrop. 

Um… Wow? 

Hits from his most recent album Call Me If You Get Lost are what he started out with, if my ears served me right – but the music was only half of the show as a butler escorted Tyler out of the car and around the property, until he finally transitioned onto a literal boat in the middle of the crowd. Tyler walked off the edge of the stage onto a retro looking Thomson watercraft (think wooden speedboat) which he captained out to the center of the arena, where he landed on a platform which looked like a desert scene with weeds and dust alike. Traveling in style to the highest degree!

It’s from here he stole my heart, performing my all-time favorite hit “Boredom” which he nearly let the crowd sing themselves since he knew we all knew the words. It was soon after this piece when he started interacting more between music tracks and focusing more on talking to the crowd. At one point I looked down at my phone to make a note, but then looked back up to see Tyler waving a middle finger at my section with the CUTEST grin running across his face – anyone who knows him knows that this is a blessing, a chance to be in on his master joke; It was the best birthday gift ever. 

Tyler carried on, literally across the venue between stages and between legendary song after legendary song. Throwbacks like “Yonkers” and “She” even made it into the mix last night – so if you’re reading this, and are still wondering if you should join the 9k+ of us who went last night to see him again when he comes back… Just Do It. This was one for the ages. 

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