This past week, Tame Impala’s Deadbeat Tour made its rounds in Philadelphia on the tour’s second North American leg. With this being his first Philly performance in over 4 years, fans can attest that it was well worth the wait.
Born Kevin Parker, Tame Impala has been touring in promotion of his latest album Deadbeat, which was released this past October. Known for his ethereal live visuals and his one-of-a-kind sound, a Tame Impala show isn’t one you’ll regret going to see.
Kicking the night off was Djo as the supporting act, and you would’ve thought this was his tour from how loud the crowd was. Best known from his time acting on the critically acclaimed Netflix show Stranger Things, he has since made an alter ego for himself through music. For anyone who is fans of both Tame Impala and Djo, this tour was an absolute essential.
Djo opened with “Awake,” warming up the crowd before jumping into “Change,” one of the underrated tracks from his sophomore album DECIDE. From there, he transitioned into one of his more popular singles, “Basic Being Basic,” off his critically-acclaimed project The Crux. This one really got the fans riled up; just from hearing the first few notes, the room erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
Djo then sang “Lonesome Is A State of Mind,” a fan favorite, followed by “Roddy” which immediately flowed into “Fool”; even though these were some deep cuts and this wasn’t his own headline tour, the audience sang them loud enough that you would never be able to tell.
He then began “Charlie’s Garden,” the crowd’s energy getting even higher with just the piano notes at the start. In place of where Charlie Heaton’s voicemail is usually on the track, an automated “Your call cannot be completed as dialed” message played, getting lots of laughs from the fans who knew the song well. He then transitioned into “Delete Ya,” bringing the tone down to the perfect spot before performing “Egg.”
Then came the song everyone was waiting for, getting the loudest uproar of the entire set: his hit song “End of Beginning” closed Djo’s performance. After going viral across social media, it has become a staple for anyone leaving a certain time in their life behind and moving on to something bigger; it was the perfect way to end his set. He then took his final bows and exited the stage, leaving the crowd warmed up for the main act.
At 8:45pm on the dot, the lights dropped and the fans screamed louder than ever. The band made their way on stage, followed closely by Kevin Parker himself. The spotlight hit him, the audience went crazy, and he jumped right into “Apocalypse Dreams.” The visuals never get old, whether this is your first Tame Impala show or you’ve seen him 20 times before.
During the instrumental jam session, Parker took the time to say hello to the room and welcome everyone to the Deadbeat Tour. He seamlessly transitioned into “Borderline,” the hit from his album The Slow Rush, electrifying the audience. The blue-and-red light show gave the audience that head-spinning feeling, but in the best possible way.
Then he performed “Loser,” one of the stellar singles off Deadbeat, before heading into “Breathe Deeper” and “Gossip.” Parker lowered the light bars, showing off a rotating, tilting circle of colors around the stage as lasers flashed. It was fitting that it felt like a halo, conveying how ethereal a Tame Impala live atmosphere truly is.
He swung into another fan favorite, “Elephant,” which has gotten every room to come alive since its release in 2012. Then, walking along the barricade, he sang “Afterthought” with the fans before bringing the psychedelic lights back out for “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards,” engulfing the room in waves of rainbow spotlights and lasers. He took a 180-degree spin on the visuals, keeping it sleek and red for his viral hit “Dracula.”
After his regular bathroom break mid-show (with an instrumental of “No Reply” playing as he went), Parker made his way to the B-stage to perform a live synthesizer set. Sitting on the floor with his pillows and table lamps, he jammed out to “Ethereal Connection” and “Not My World” before heading back to the main stage.
The intro to the next song played, immediately earning the biggest screams of the night. Everyone in the room jumped to their feet for “Let It Happen,” singing along to every lyric. With confetti shooting out of the cannons at the beat drop, no one wanted the night to end.
After performing “Nangs” with its cool coinciding visuals, Parker said that the next song would be “one that we don’t play very often”; from there he transitioned into “Alter Ego,” a very loved track among diehard fans. Sitting at the front of the stage, he sang “Yes I’m Changing,” immediately followed by “Eventually” with a beautiful variation of cool-toned lasers and lights.
After thanking everyone for coming, he closed his main set with “New Person, Same Old Mistakes.” The beat-coordinated spotlights circling the stage, while seemingly simple compared to the rest of the night, were nothing short of gorgeous. Confetti cascaded down the room for a second time, the lights flashing neon colors to the rhythm, and everyone exited the stage.
As thousands of fans chanted his name, Parker and his band returned under the spotlight for an encore. As they set up for the finale, Parker sat on the stage and reminisced on their first show in Philadelphia and how the energy only gets bigger each time:
“Well, one thing I can say for sure is every time we’ve come to Philly, it’s been better and better. At no point have we come here and it’s been like ‘Eh, last time was better’… You know what I mean, so thank you!”
After showing his love for the city, he sang “My Old Ways,” the intro track of Deadbeat, before leaping into “The Less I Know The Better,” which will always be a classic summer song on anyone’s playlist. The show closed with “End of Summer” as Parker brought out all the stops; flashing lights and lasers galore, vibrant music, even more confetti, and a touching “Thank you” to officially wrap up the night.
“Djame Impala” (as some fans have been calling it) was an absolute success from start to finish. Djo captured everyone’s attention flawlessly and commanded the stage like it was his own. He was the perfect warmup for Tame Impala to take the reins. Kevin Parker then kept the crowd on their feet, completely entertained, and filled the building with voices screaming every lyric.
Djo and Tame sent fans home with voices hoarse, merch in their hands, and memories they’ll never forget.
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Keep up with Djo: Instagram // X // TikTok // Facebook // Website
