Tyler, the Creator Shouts from the Heavens at Osheaga’s River Stage
After a long rain delay and a thunderstorm warning that paused the entire festival, the energy at Osheaga’s River Stage was at a boiling point. By the time Tyler, the Creator finally stepped out under the Saturday night sky, the crowd was massive, jittery, and ready to explode. What followed was not just a concert, but a statement.
The stage was designed with theatrical precision. A wide horizontal platform stretched across the scene, and for much of the show, Tyler stood elevated high above the audience like a prophet on a pedestal. He shouted, danced, and prowled from his high perch, commanding attention as sparks and flames shot up behind him. It was part performance art, part electric sermon.
The show moved at a breathless pace. Tyler delivered a rapid-fire setlist that darted through eras of his discography, including standout tracks from Flower Boy, IGOR, CHROMAKOPIA, and DON'T TAP THE GLASS. The crowd roared through every beat, singing along with full-throated conviction. It all came to a close with "See You Again", a tender send-off after an hour of fury and flamboyance.
In a rare moment of vulnerability, Tyler paused to level with the crowd. He told us this show marked the end of a long string of performances and admitted just how exhausted he was. It made what we were witnessing even more impressive. He asked the crowd to help hi sing a few songs so he could catch his breathe. If anything, his fatigue added emotional weight to the set.
One moment stood out. Before launching into "ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?," Tyler confessed that he never expected it to become such a fan favorite. But the crowd’s reaction said it all. Thousands of voices joined in, arms raised in the air, echoing every word back at him.
It wasn’t my first time seeing Tyler, the Creator, but it was the biggest and the boldest. The way he uses light, space, and silence is nearly architectural. Every costume change, every burst of pyrotechnics, and every surprise shift in tempo felt intentional.
By the end, the night had turned triumphant. The earlier anxiety of the rain delay had completely evaporated, replaced by a sense of collective catharsis. Tyler didn’t just put on a show. He brought down the sky.
Review by: Chris Murphy
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