Tyler, The Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost Tour Electrifies in Los Angeles
Words & photos by Paolo Nicola
Thursday, March 31, 2022 - Multitalented artist Tyler, The Creator Tyler Baudelaire (his globetrotting alter ego for this album cycle) brought his long-awaited ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ tour to his hometown of Los Angeles. The unforgettable sold-out show took place at the legendary Staples Center (it’s called the Crypto.com Arena now, but will always be Staples Center to me and many other Angelenos). The show was also livestreamed through Amazon Music. I arrived several hours early and was able to enjoy the show from the left side of the pit, only a few people away from the main stage. It was my first concert since the pandemic started and an amazing way to return to live music.
There were plenty of pre-show attractions outside the venue, including a merch table, an inflatable starry-eyed Tyler Baudelaire carrying his Golf Le Fleur luggage, massive chalk art of the Call Me If You Get Lost logo, and stand-in photo boards of the album cover where fans could pose for their own passport card. The venue also implemented a numbered wristband system, which is far more convenient than having fans wait in line for hours. We were free to roam around the LA Live area next door until it was time to enter the arena. Once inside, the crowd entertained themselves while waiting for the show to start by doing the wave.
The three opening acts, who have all collaborated with Tyler in the past, Teezo Touchdown, Vince Staples, and Kali Uchis, put on wonderful shows. Teezo Touchdown knows how to get a crowd hyped up and he should definitely be on your “artists to watch” list. His set was so fun to watch and he asked the pit to give him the first mosh pit of the night during his song “Careful.” Later, the talented Vince Staples performed at the second stage towards the back of the pit. Although I had a limited view from where I was standing, he had an exciting entrance with colorful lights and visual effects that looked like an alien abduction. Unfortunately, something went really wrong with the audio. Most of his set was overshadowed by intense, trembling bass that had some people in the pit covering their ears. This was a shame because Vince is a great artist and it was nearly impossible to hear his voice. After, Kali Uchis put on a sultry set of her Spanish and English songs that had the crowd going wild (a guy standing next to me let out the highest pitched screams I’ve ever heard during “Telepatia.” Very impressive.)
Finally, a massive screen displayed picturesque footage of a vibrant forest followed by deafening screams from the crowd. A baby blue Rolls-Royce ascended onto the stage and Tyler hopped out to perform the first song of the night, “Sir Baudelaire.” His show was high-energy, exciting, and full of spectacular visual effects. Sparklers, fire, strobe lights, and more. The star of the stage (besides Tyler) was the massive blue mansion with lights that matched the beat of the music and displayed silhouettes of his featured artists in the windows when their verses played. Everyone thought A$AP Rocky’s silhouette during “Who Dat Boy” was actually him. Another memorable part of the show was Tyler riding his boat through the pit while performing “Wusyaname” before reaching second stage. A fan handed him a bouquet of sunflowers as he rode by, possibly a reference to his Flower Boy album cover.
One of the few photos I took of Tyler during the show with my phone. Ignore the low quality.
Tyler put on a show that was honestly too good for the pit at times. There were many people that seemed more interested in facetiming or filming the entire thing on their phones rather than actually enjoying it. Sometimes the people in the seated sections looked more energetic than the ones in the pit. Maybe they were tired from standing for too long or they thought they were too cool to jump around and have fun? Who knows, but Tyler even ranted about the LA crowd at his Sacramento show the following night, which is embarrassing. However, there were still some super fans around me that matched Tyler’s chaotic energy throughout the night, so it wasn’t too bad. The crowd really transformed during ‘New Magic Wand’, which was one of his best performances ever, in my opinion. No recordings of it can truly reflect how intense and exhilarating it was in person.
No Tyler concert would be complete without his playful banter and interactions with the audience. One moment that stood out was when he asked a fan in the front row to say the model of his car (1939 Rolls-Royce Wraith). Instead of responding, the starstruck fan immediately burst into tears of joy. Of course, Tyler had a field day with this. “Wait, are you crying?!” he asked incredulously before moving onto “Lumberjack.” He also took a moment to tell everyone about the humble beginnings of Odd Future before performing some fan-favorite classics from Goblin.
Tyler’s distinctive stage presence combined with the high-quality production value of his set made this one of the best concerts I’ve been to so far. Really looking forward to the next album and tour!
