A line of fans zigzagged around the San Francisco Civic Center Plaza, awaiting their entrance into the venue for Tyler, the Creator’s IGOR tour. Prior to entrance, the mass amount of people entertained themselves by taking photos in front of the block lettering of “Tyler, the Creator” or purchasing an IGOR t-shirt from merch sellers. Tickets were scanned and soon, chaos ensued. 

Tyler, the Creator returned to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Friday, Oct. 11 for his second consecutive show in the building. The haze of sweat and marijuana scent was overpowered by Tyler’s strong vocals, wowing the audience with exhilaration.

Since learning to play the piano at age 14, Tyler has released five albums, accumulating almost ten million monthly listeners on Spotify. His latest album, IGOR, debuted May 17 and was soon placed at the top of Billboard’s 200. In the following weeks, Tyler released his United States tour dates for the highly anticipated album.

Artists GoldLink and Blood Orange opened the show. Having listened to GoldLink prior to his performance, I was impressed by the upbeat sound of his widely popular single, “Crew.” He fostered a hyper energy, and knowing that Tyler would put forth even more enthusiasm only furthered my excitement. Blood Orange followed GoldLink but did not give off the energetic vibe that GoldLink and Tyler possessed. His music was not the issue; he was just playing for the wrong crowd.

As Blood Orange exited the stage, ears perked up in anticipation of Tyler’s appearance. The crowd waited, unbeknownst to the adrenaline rush they were about to endure as Tyler took the stage. He began with “IGOR’S THEME,” starting chronologically on his album with some older favorites such as “Yonkers” and “911 / Mr. Lonely” sprinkled about. Tyler’s face was displayed on a screen behind him, with blue tones to accentuate his blonde wig and blue suit. Because his traditional attire is much more casual, typically wearing a baseball cap, this new look was uniquely IGOR and portrayed a different side of Tyler.

By the time “Who Dat Boy” from his 2017 Flower Boy album commenced, a Tyler, the Creator look-alike caused a large mosh pit. Fans waited for the chorus before filling the circle to display dance moves. The confinement of the pit gave me no control over where I was going, but this surprising feeling added to my enjoyment. 

For the show’s finale, Tyler performed “RUNNING OUT OF TIME” and “See You Again.” The final song, “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?” signaled the show’s close as the audience cheered for an encore.

The fluorescent lights flickered back on and the crowd dispersed onto Grove St., and my hope for an encore diminished. I knew that this was an IGOR tour, but I hoped for the appearance of my favorite songs from his older album, “Cherry Bomb,” arguably the most pleasing set of tracks.

Although the IGOR tour will soon be coming to a close, with only five cities remaining, Tyler will not stop performing. On Nov. 9 and 10, he will be hosting his seventh annual Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival in Los Angeles.