JACKIE MARQUEZ / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

While some Toreros spent Spring Break on the sands of Mexico, others spent their time sitting in the stands of San Diego’s Sports Arena. On March 9 and 10, Tyler, the Creator’s “Chromokopia: The World Tour” took over the Pechanga Arena. The back-to-back shows featured songs from Tyler’s newest album “Chromakopia,” as well as older tracks from the rapper’s discography. Through creative set designs, iconic costumes and a curated setlist, the show paid homage to Tyler’s career while also touching on the anxiety that comes with growing older. 

Tyler, the Creator, born Tyler Okonma, is a rapper, singer and songwriter native to LA. The musician started releasing music in 2007 and has since released eight studio albums. Influential in shaping alternative hip-hop in the 2010s, Tyler, the Creator has won two Grammys for “Best Rap Album.” The rapper has also garnered an audience of USD students. Whether it be by wearing Tyler, the Creator merch around campus or by queuing up for the concert outside Pechanga Arena, Toreros have shown their support for the singer-songwriter.

USD senior Shannon Burns was one of the fans eagerly awaiting the show. Having listened to Tyler, the Creator for a couple of years, she and her younger brother joined the pre-sale list and secured themselves two tickets. 

“Honestly, that whole week that whole month [leading up to the concert], I was just excited,” Burns said. “I kept listening to his songs and getting more excited, so it was great to actually be there and be around people that were feeling the same way.”

Before the show’s headliner stepped on stage, hip-hop duo Paris Texas and rapper Lil Yachty worked to get the crowd hyped. Defying genre labels, Paris Texas combined a variety of different styles to start off the show. Then, Lil Yachty rode off the duo’s intensity. Starting with his usual trap style and then incorporating more of psychedelic rock sound, the rapper set the stage for Tyler, the Creator’s own alternative hip hop sound.

Following  the  opening  acts, a buzz  of  anticipation  filled the arena. Then, the  lights suddenly went out, and an otherworldly neon-green glow  illuminated  the  venue.  As the  green shipping  container  sitting on stage ascended into the ceiling, an  eerie cloud of gray smoke unfurled over  the  crowd.  Amidst  the  fog, Tyler, the Creator  came  into vision. For USD sophomore and longtime fan Tanner Blackington, this was the first time seeing the performer in person. 

“I’ve never seen another artist get on stage like that,” Blackinton said. “He has on his big a** suit with the shoulder pads and tassels and like a crazy extravagant presentation. That’s something that most people don’t do … especially not in the rap community because it seems weird, but he doesn’t care about that, you know? He expresses himself wholly in the way he wants to.” 

With his green military-inspired suit and skin-colored mask, Tyler took on the persona of St. Chroma, a fictional character who appears in the album art and music videos for “Chromakopia.” Against a curtain of sparks and beaming lights, the performer danced through the first six songs of “Chromakopia” with a whirlwind of intensity. Then, at the end of his sixth song, “Judge Judy,” a bridge slowly descended from the ceiling, connecting the main stage with a B stage halfway across the arena. To USD senior Elizabeth Ferris, the changing set was shocking. 

As part of the show, Tyler, the Creator wore a mask, symbolic of his struggle with his own identity. Jackie Marquez/USD Vista

“You had no idea what was coming from  the  beginning of  the show,” Ferris said. “When [the bridge]  came  down  from   the ceiling, it was just incredible.”

Once he was on the bridge, the real Tyler started shining through the mask of St. Chroma. Letting loose with his performance of “Sticky,” the artist danced over his fans, showering them with real $1 bills. Then, he slowed the tempo down with “Take Your Mask  Off.” Peeling off his expressionless mask, Tyler got vulnerable and rapped about the pain that hiding your true self can cause. 

Finally  looking   like   himself, the performer wandered over to the B stage, which had been decorated to resemble a living room. In the center of  the  stage stood a record  player  surrounded with vinyl copies of Tyler’s eight albums. More of a storytelling device than a set piece, Tyler used his physical vinyl collection  to  guide  his  audience through his older albums like “Igor,” “Wolf,” “Goblin” and “Call Me If You Get Lost.”  

Tyler’s costume added to the persona of St. Chroma. Photo courtesy of @rapup/Instagram

“It was really cool to see how much his discography has grown, like you physically see it there,” Blackington explained. “It was literally like taking a trip down memory lane with him as he picked one [record] up and put it on.”

The nostalgic tone of this part of the concert united fans across the arena. When Tyler cut his song “IFHY” short, the crowd came together and sang. 

“[Tyler] cut off the song early,  but  the  whole  floor kept it  going  and he just  stopped  and  listened to them,” Blackington reflected. “They  went   through  the  whole  second  verse  of   the  song,  back to the chorus, and he just stood there  and  let them do it … It was really wonderful to see that.”

Even as someone who just recently started listening to Tyler, Ferris felt the energy of that moment. 

“I enjoy his new music a lot, but I’m a new fan,” Ferris confessed. “But, even from the outside looking in, that was a really cool moment. You can tell how dedicated his fans are and how much he cares about them as well.”

Showering the audience with money, the rapper got fans hyped. Photo courtesy of @drzkrzInstagram

Supported  by his fans, Tyler finished  his  final   few songs with vulnerable rawness. Lamenting his estranged relationship to his father with “Like Him” and paying  homage to his hometown with “THAT GUY,” Tyler, the Creator reminisced on  his own personal journey to success. Then, in a blaze of pyrotechnics, the musician went out with a bang. Playing some of his  biggest hits, “See  You  Again” and “New  Magic  Wand,” Tyler went all out before sending off his audience with “I Hope You Find Your Way Home.” Speaking to his change as an artist and as a person, “Chromakopia: The World Tour” was a love letter to Tyler, the Creator’s career.

Tyler, the Creator’s show at Pechanga Arena used generous amounts of pyrotechnics. Photo courtesy of @chromakopia/Instagram