Live Review: Tyler, The Creator @ Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

It’s 9:25 pm and Tyler, The Creator is barely overdue to step on stage, but the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne is thick with anticipation. As I look around the enormous sold-out arena, I’m reminded of the many demographics Tyler’s music touches, and the near-20-year body of work that he brings to his CHROMAKOPIA World Tour, the second tour we’ve seen of Tyler in Australia.

The stage is set as a series of shipping containers with green light and a smoke machine emitting from all sides, with CHROMAKOPIA printed on each side of the containers. Before long, a Mexican wave ripples through the audience between chants for Tyler - the excitement is mounting.

Just like that, the lights go down, and it's a scramble for seated attendees to get on their feet so as not to miss a thing. Then huge, disjointed text appears on the screen with the robotic audio behind it, which says: “Welcome. Number one. Body Movement. No sitting still. Number two. Only speak in glory. Leave your baggage at home. Number three. Don’t tap the glass.”

Big Poe is the perfect and only choice to start the show with, adjusting us all to Tyler’s world, and where the number one rule of not sitting still is taken as law, with only a few, if any, moments of stillness through the enormous Wednesday night set.

Tyler explodes onto the stage with high energy, accompanied by pyrotechnics that occur all around the stage, leaving us with the smell of gunpowder that permeates the arena and 14,000 fans ready for what comes next.

If Big Poe was the aggressor, then what comes next is a smoother, dancier pivot with Sugar On My Tongue. This is where we can see Tyler do what he does best: dance and move in his signature style, with the stage and arena bathed in a funky blue and purple light. Tyler shares the moment with the audience, pointing out his mic for us all to sing “Like sugar on my tongue, tongue, tongue”.

Next comes a familiar tune, and it’s time for St. Chroma, which feels like the reason we are all here, and that huge text “DON’T TAP THE GLASS” returns to the screen for the short but powerful song, and when ‘Chromakopia’ is mentioned, it is bellowed by the audience, many of which are already wearing the tour merch.

Rah Tah Tah is next, and it’s like the moshpit is moving as one as they parrot back the hard-hitting lyrics about paranoia, style and all those extra layers that Tyler can bring to his lyrics. When the song ends, Tyler finally greets Melbourne, saying it’s been a while since he’s been “down here”. Not strictly true, as the last tour to visit Australia was the Call Me If You Get Lost Tour in 2022, but the only indication we get that this world tour is a huge feat for him is when he jokes, “I’ve got four shows of this, what the f***!”

He then sits at the very edge of the stage with his legs dangling, treating those at the front of the mosh pit as if the effort was worth it. He says, “I’m going to tell you a story about a girl who was real special”.

Tyler needs to say no more, as we’ve all clocked that Judge Judy is up next, and this slow, fun ballad starts with the entire audience dragging out that “judge” together, swaying together, and then adjusting together as the track takes on a new vibe halfway through. Tyler is so in sync with the music, stumbling in time with where the track sticks and jumps, before he recovers and continues his skip-style dance on stage.

Whether you were hoping to hear new music, old music or a blend of both, Tyler hasn’t skimped on the set. CHROMAKOPIA-stans got a healthy dose of the 2024 Don’t Tap The Glass album. About halfway through the show, he says he’s going to play some of his older music, joking that he didn’t solely sing a lot of that, so “This is all your motherf***ers’ job to sing this shit”, and if the audience's cries are anything to go by, they accept those terms.

He follows up to say that “I need to catch my breath”, largely due to his all-leather suit and cap, which is very hot, he tells, but “I can’t take it off because it looks cool as shit”. He launches into his former album hits by saying, “Ok, 15-year catalogue, let’s see what this is about.” 

We’re all hoping to hear our favourites, but whatever Tyler gives us seems the perfect fit. Earfquake, and other tracks from his Call Me If We Get Lost album and beyond take shape on stage, and it’s clear that concert goers have turned up for every iteration of Tyler.

Tyler’s unique flavour of swagger stands out even in the loud, competitive landscape of 2025, and that was on full display last night. He had an easy, honest and funny rapport with the audience throughout, surprising us all when he was talking to the audience and was interrupted by a fan screaming out, ‘I love you, Tyler’, and he gave the finger in their general direction. He and the audience laughed, and it was yet another reminder of the alternate and unexpected style we have come to know from Tyler, The Creator.

Support acts Lil Yatchy and Paris Texas had the weighty job of preparing an audience thirsty for Tyler, The Creator, but they more than held their own, respectively. Lil Yatchy, in particular, was a favourite with his self-described “bubblegum-trap” style, agreeing with the audience as he made his way through a tight set.

Tyler, The Creator will continue his Melbourne shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, before making his way to Sydney next week and then Brisbane and Perth. Tickets are still available for some of the shows, and it might be another few years before Tyler makes his way down under, so don’t sleep on the CHROMAKOPIA tour.