Review: Tyler, The Creator at RAC Arena
Tyler, The Creator at RAC Arena
w/ Paris Texas, Lil Yachty
Thursday, September 4, 2025
Tyler, The Creator blew the roof off RAC Arena on Thursday night, delivering an unforgettable performance during one of the last stops of his CHROMOKOPIA world tour.
In the lead-up, Tyler had already gone viral for backing up Perth against interstate crowds. When his Brisbane audience booed at the mention of the upcoming Perth shows, Tyler clapped back with, “Don’t boo them. I like Perth.”
On Thursday, Perth returned the love tenfold, matching his energy from the first track to the last.
Opening the night, Paris Texas wasted no time setting the pace. The duo tore through Girls Like Drugs, Mudbone, and Force of Habit, unleashing their chaotic blend of experimental hip-hop mixed with nu-metal elements. For such an early set, Paris Texas brought massive energy, and by the time they wrapped, so many young first-time listeners were fully converted. In fact, a tonne of fans online have been posting about how the biggest highlight of the tour has been walking away as newly converted Paris Texas fans. After seeing the group in the flesh, it’s easy to see why they are absolutely blowing up right now.
Next up, Lil Yachty kept the adrenaline surging. He had the arena bouncing and splitting into mosh pits, weaving throwback anthems like Broccoli and iSpy with newer bangers like Poland and Hate Me. His set was a reminder of just how deep his catalogue runs, and the crowd stayed locked in from start to finish. Fortunately, Yachty looked far more engaged playing in front of the Perth crowd than he did in the clips going viral from his recent meet and greets.
By 9.30pm, well after Yachty had left the stage, the anticipation for Tyler’s arrival was at its peak. The crowd was buzzing for Tyler’s entrance, with Mexican waves rippling across the arena and chants breaking out in every corner. Looking around, it was clear there was an unspoken dress code—thousands of fans were decked out in blue IGOR suits, ushanka hats, and blonde wigs. There was a real sense of community.
As the tension reached its peak, the arena was suddenly plunged into darkness. A deafening roar erupted, and it felt like the roof was about to blow off the stadium.
Then, over the speakers, the rules of the night were laid down: “Number one: body movement; no sitting still. Number two: only speak in glory; leave your baggage at home—none of that deep shit. Number three… don’t tap the glass.”
In an instant, pyrotechnics exploded, and Tyler, The Creator stormed onto the stage, launching straight into his explosive new track, Big Poe. At first, nearly every hand in the building was raised with a phone to capture the moment. But once the initial wave of filming subsided, the crowd gave in completely and started going hard.
Sugar on My Tongue was next up, the second and final track of the night from Tyler’s Don’t Tap the Glass album. Its viral TikTok status contributed to this song having one of the loudest sing-alongs of the night, and Tyler clearly thrived on the crowd’s energy.
Tyler then powered through seven CHROMOKOPIA tracks back-to-back, with standout moments including Sticky, Noid, and Judge Judy. After the flurry of songs, he took a moment to chat with the crowd, delivering some of the night’s funniest moments while riffing about the ongoing state rivalry.
“When I mentioned Perth to the other cities, they booed the fuck out of you. You know what I do? I take up for y’all. It’s a beautiful city.”
He continued with more observations:
“Australia is the whitest country. I could sell a sunscreen business here. But weirdly enough, I’ve been looking in the crowd tonight—shoutout to all the Black folks in this bitch—and I will say, I think this is the most we’ve had at any show in Australia.”
Moments later, Tyler burst into laughter, losing his train of thought. “Y’all didn’t hear it, but in the most Australian accent, some boy just said, ‘WE LOVE BLACK PEOPLE.’”
After these funny interactions, Tyler dove deeper into his discography, playing EARFQUAKE and Are We Still Friends, garnering massive sing-alongs from the audience. The admittedly smaller amount of OGs were shown a little bit of love, with She, IFHY and Tamale played up next in succession.
With a career spanning nearly two decades and a setlist totalling 23 songs, Tyler had to trim some of his popular tracks, including DOGTOOTH, WUSYANAME, and Who Dat Boy, but even in shortened form, they still packed a serious punch.
Like Him was the emotional high point of the evening. The crowd passionately sang the chorus in unison, which created a raw and unforgettable atmosphere. After taking in the standing ovation that followed the instrumental fade, Tyler shared with the audience that the track had nearly been left off the final version of CHROMOKOPIA.
“That almost did not make that album, bro. Daniel Caesar forced me to put it on the album. It’s too personal, but y’all connect to it.”
Before launching into the final three songs of the night, Tyler took a moment to reflect on the privilege of performing worldwide. “Not being from this side of the earth, and the fact that we can come to these cities in Australia and do multiple shows, really means a lot to us.”
He also couldn’t resist showing appreciation for the greatest Australian ice cream ever made. “Shout out to Golden Gaytime! That ice cream is so fucking good. I don’t know what flavour it is. I don’t care. I suck those things down, boy. I take three at a time.”
See You Again, NEW MAGIC WAND, and I Hope You Find Your Way Home closed out the night in fitting fashion. After the final notes faded, Tyler thanked his fans, bringing the show to a close; no encore was needed. He had poured everything into the performance, leaving the audience with the understanding that there was nothing left to give.
On a deeper level, this tour has highlighted Tyler’s evolution over the past decade. The man who once stage-dived with a broken leg at an Odd Future show is still there in spirit, but he has mastered his art and is reaching new audiences in ways nobody could have imagined.
This is an artist who genuinely values his fans and has spent so long creating brilliant, genre-spanning work. For long-time followers, seeing Tyler’s growth and the production value of his current shows feels like a well-earned reward after years of risk-taking and genuine innovation across so many different platforms.
HARRISON JONES
Photo by Roger Hofor