Tyler, The Creator Surprises Fans with 'Don’t Tap the Glass' Set at Montreal's Osheaga Festival
The rapper treated fans to cuts from his new album and old favourites during his eclectic headlining set, shortly after the audience braved an unexpected thunderstorm.
Tyler, The Creator 'Don't Tap The Glass'
Tyler, The Creator headlined the second night of Osheaga Festival in Montreal on Saturday night (Aug. 2), a set that was briefly in limbo before it began.
As a packed crowd of fans watched Gracie Abrams perform, the singer finished her track "Free Now" before swiftly exiting the stage due to a sudden lightning storm. Her set was ultimately cut short, and fans were left waiting as an onscreen message informed festival goers that the show would be temporarily interrupted.
The show resumed around 9:15 pm when Tyler’s green "Chromakopia" container stage was lit up. Fans erupted into cheers 15 minutes later when the stage crew pulled down the "Chromakopia" banner to reveal one reading “Don’t Tap The Glass,” the title of Tyler’s newest album. Fans would have to wait another 15 minutes for the rapper but once he arrived, his entrance was explosive.
He immediately began rapping “Big Poe” with a commanding delivery while dancing onstage, as fireworks flew up and sprayed down during the chorus. “Sugar On My Tongue” followed, with fans singing the refrain word for word.
He maintained the already high engagement by continuing with tracks from 2024's CHROMAKOPIA, kicking off with "St. Chroma." Between the pyrotechnics and the crowd chanting Daniel Caesar's chorus, the scene was reminiscent of his Chromakopia Tour, which came to Montreal's Bell Centre just last week.
During "Rah-Tah-Tah," the spotlights briefly pointed to him as he flexed his arms and proclaimed he was "the biggest out of L.A. after Kendrick, that's a fact now," a boastful highlight from the set.
In a brief address, Tyler comically acknowledged the different VIP terraces, identifying them as the "rich n---s" and proclaiming that the "poor people" in general admission were more "turnt" than them. "I get it though, it's a lot of bald fathers in here, like they back hurt, give them some slack," he added. He then noticed the Coors Light VIP section, jokingly asking what class they belonged to and prompting the crowd to boo them.
He then launched into his back catalogue, delivering classic cuts from Goblin, Call Me If You Get and IGOR like "She," "Lumberjack" and "Are We Still Friends?," the latter of which he said he recently added to his setlist after realizing it was a huge fan favourite. The crowd proved that fact by enthusiastically belting out the track.
The audience was treated to the same stunning backdrop of raining fireworks during "Like Him," which Tyler carried over from his arena shows. He continued with more Don't Tap the Glass tracks. He was surprised that fans already knew the lyrics to "Sucka Free," exclaiming "Y'all know this?" He followed up with "I'll Take Care of You" and explained that he wouldn't sing the lyrics as he just wanted to dance and groove to the drums. "Thank you, I really needed that for myself," he shared once the song ended, expressing a sense of fulfillment.
He shared that he was very tired, but willing to pour all of his energy into the following song: the brash, alarming "New Magic Wand." He gave his all onstage, throwing himself around as flames burst in front of the stage, matching the aggressive red lighting. The night ended on an endearing note as the entire audience joined together to harmonize to "See You Again."
