There are concerts you buy tickets for because your mates are going, and then there are concerts you rearrange your life around. Tyler, The Creator falls firmly into the latter. When news broke that he’d be touching down in Bangkok, the city’s group chats lit up like a neon sign. Suddenly everyone had opinions on set lists, outfits and how early to show up at Impact Arena.
‘Tyler, The Creator is coming here next week.’ It’s the fact that slices through the rumours of cancelled festivals, line-up reshuffles and the city’s perpetual rumours about who’s playing where. For a moment, Bangkok feels like the centre of a very particular universe: one where a Grammy-winning rapper decides to drop in and thousands of people lose their collective cool.
Tyler lands on September 16 at Impact Arena, the Thai stop of his world-spanning Chromakopia tour, the album that hit number one on the Billboard chart and refused to budge for weeks. It’s been hailed as a career peak, the kind of project that lets an artist strut and stretch without looking over their shoulder. His shows are just as relentless – Complex calls him one of the best live rappers, while the Los Angeles Times went with ‘electrifying.’
But before the concert itself, there’s homework – or at least wardrobe prep. Carnival, Bangkok’s cult streetwear label, has teamed with Sony Music to host a week-long pop-up at Warehouse 30. Titled ‘Don’t Tap The Glass,’ it runs from September 11-17. Racks will hold limited-edition merch inspired by both Chromakopia and the Don’t Tap The Glass project: tees, caps, accessories, the kind of things you’ll want to be seen in when the bass drops. Some pieces are exclusive to Bangkok, which means if you miss them, they’re gone. There will be a small restock at the venue itself on gig night, but anyone who’s queued for these things knows how quickly they vanish.
And Tyler isn’t the only one making the city sweat. Doja Cat, Tyla, Smashing Pumpkins and even Sting are all slotted to perform in the coming months, a run of shows Time Out has already flagged for anyone plotting their ticket strategy. For now, though, it’s all about Chromakopia. The outfits, the energy, the sense of finally being in the right place at the right time. Tyler is coming. Don’t say you weren’t warned.