The lights cut out inside TD Garden on July. 9, leaving just eight emerald glows at the base of the stage to illuminate “Chromakopia” etched across a mystic shipping container.

The background music halted, leaving the audience in a moment of echoing silence. That void was swiftly filled with the intro to “St. Chroma,” then the screams and cheers of fans around the arena chanting one word in unison: “Chromakopia.”

Tyler Gregory Okonma, better known by his stage name Tyler, The Creator, released his long-awaited eighth studio album, “Chromakopia,” on Oct. 28, 2024. After a three-year hiatus, anticipation for a new album was sky high; tickets for the world tour sold out within minutes of their release. 

Hundreds of people lined the streets in the hours before doors opened on the night of his second TD Garden performance, many dressed in merchandise from the album or sported Golf Wang, Tyler’s streetwear company. Others showed up in classic Tyler fashion; a white button-up with a pink tie, or a green polo vest coupled with baggy jorts and loafers. 

Rap duo Paris Texas and solo performer Lil Yachty opened for Tyler. Paris Texas were up first and right at 7:30 p.m. they hit the stage running, bringing in even more energy than what the fans already had. For the “Chromakopia” tour Paris Texas brought on a new member, Ankle Sandwich, a DJ from Los Angeles who only added to their endless energy.

The trio performed nine of their most popular songs, such as “Infinyte,” “PANIC!!!,” and “Sean-Jared”. The audience at first didn’t seem too thrilled about their songs, but as time went on the audience started to lighten up and get more involved with their performance, eventually singing their songs and getting out of their seats to either sway to the beat or wave their flashlights in the air.

Lil Yachty was next and he was on stage for 45 minutes, playing a total of 21 songs from his newer music and some 2015 throwback songs from the beginning of his career. The crowd was even more energetic. Phones were out, voices were loud, and the energy hit a new high.

As the arena waited for the night’s main act, the arena lights turned back on, brightly illuminating the sold-out arena full of lively fans. At 9:27 p.m., just minutes before Tyler’s scheduled showtime, the arena went dark. Green lights shined across a cargo container, and the fans all chanted “Chromakopia”.

“St. Chroma,” the first song off the album, started suddenly, the shipping container started to rise, and Tyler appeared from within it. He wore a green uniform jacket with matching green pants, black polished boots, a wig and, most importantly, his custom fitted, realistic face mask. This was the outfit of his newest persona, St. Chroma.

As the shipping container made its way to the top and receded into the others above it, Tyler began doing his signature St. Chroma stomp, a move he opens with on every tour. The chorus played and the stomps started from the crowd, all in a synched rhythm. At the pinnacle of the song, fireworks, smoke, and flashing lights, coupled with fire pillars that could be felt in the stands, filled the stage, encompassing Tyler in a cloud of stunning visuals.

The crowd knew his songs by memory. After six songs from his most recent album, Tyler played “Momma Talk,” an interlude from his 2021 Grammy-winning album, “Call Me If You Get Lost,” to transition from the main stage to a catwalk that had started its descent. The catwalk, in the center of the main stage and Stage B, hovered over the mosh pit that was full of energetic fans jumping up and down.

On the catwalk, he continued playing the next three songs from “Chromakopia”: “Sticky”, “Take Your Mask Off,” and “Tomorrow.” The catwalk lowered and led Tyler to Stage B.

Stage B is an alternate stage on the tour that’s styled like a mid-2000’s house, with beige walls and a bright green door. The actual house is just black screens hovering around the stage with an image of the outside of a house being projected onto it. Inside, however, it’s styled like a living room pulled from a dream. The furniture — a record player and a crate of vinyls — made it feel like Tyler’s inviting us to his world.

There, the lights dimmed, and Tyler went into a small blacked-out tent. Inside, he changed from his St. Chroma outfit into more leisure wear for the rest of the concert: baggy beige khaki pants, a plain white crew neck, his signature GOLF le FLEUR* short-sleeve button-up, a brown golf hat and the highlight of his outfit — his custom Converse shoes that take inspiration from the early 20th-century style. It was classic Tyler: stripped-back, effortless and purely iconic.

As he was changing, “Igor’s Theme,” the opening song on his Grammy-winning album, “Igor,” began to play. It was the perfect interlude into his next song, “Earfquake.”

If the main stage was a storm, Stage B was the calm pink sky that comes after. It brought Tyler’s storytelling front and center. This is where Tyler spent most of his time during the show, singing 12 songs from five of his albums. He took time between songs to talk to the crowd, thanking them for coming out and telling stories. In each city, he uses this time to personalize the show to the location. In Boston, he looked back fondly on his 2011 Newbury Comics meet and greet, which turned into a riot on the rooftop. Later on, he called Boston the “whitest city” he’s ever been to, getting a laugh from the crowd

After about an hour on Stage B, the catwalk descended to the stage, allowing Tyler to hover over the mosh pit again. As it was being lowered, “Who Dat Boy” began playing. The song starts off with a slow trumpet every few seconds, then gets faster as other instrumentals join in. He finished the song on the catwalk and made his way to the main stage again for the last time that night. 

The first song that played as he was on the main stage again was “Thought I Was Dead.” The song comes after “Tomorrow.” following the chronological order of “Chromakopia.” He then played his most streamed song of all time (at more than 1.2 billion plays), “See You Again.” He played an alternate intro , and sang the song all the way through, with the audience matching his energy lyric by lyric. 

He later switched to his favorite song, “New Magic Wand.” When he performs this song live, he opens it with a slower chorus that speeds up over time. When the bass started, fireworks exploded from behind him and the lights heightened the energy of the atmosphere. 

The final track of the night, “I Hope You Find Your Way Home,” was an emotional closer to Boston’s second night with Tyler and the album “Chromakopia.” Tyler has ended all of his tour concerts with this song. Some fans were crying, others focused on filming, and some just sat in their seats, frozen. The crowd soaked it all in, like they never wanted the night to end — spending every second admiring the beauty and the story within the show.

Tyler did seem worn out from all the touring. Though he kept it hidden behind a mask of songs, he did remove some songs that he played earlier on the tour due to exhaustion and mental strain. This didn’t affect the show much since he still played myriad songs from his various albums.

I was surprised by the amount of energy and personality he brought to the show. He sang his heart out and acted with the music on an emotional level that spoke to how artistic he is. 

As the song was coming to an end, the storage container lowered to slowly cover Tyler, and mark the end of a roughly 90-minute performance. Even with small misses, Tyler proved once again that he’s not just a rapper, but a performer, storyteller and a master of the moments.

–July 16, 2025–