It was the sweetest of homecomings for Kevin Parker and his Tame Impala bandmates on Saturday night for their first performance at RAC Arena since 2022.
The multi-hyphenate local delivered the first of two shows this weekend in Perth to round out his Aussie Deadbeat Tour, which came off the back of a heavy US jaunt and a year of promoting his fifth studio album of the same name.
And the night really did almost have everything.
Two lots of confetti blasts, a mid-show pee break and Docker cubicle stand-off, old Tame classics, and newer, TikTok-trendier tunes.
What WA got was one of the most confident and relaxed versions of the two-time Grammy winner they’ve ever seen.
Maybe it’s because Parker has found his groove as a young father of two, or that he’s deeply satisfied rolling out what may be his most richly textured album to date.
Or, maybe he’s just sick of caring if people like his music or not.
On a cold October night, the main event emerged following a high-energy, spin-tacular performance from worthy Aussie electronic support, Ninajirachi.
Parker greeted the audience by melting into a golden beam of light and raising his hand like the messiah, dressed comfortably in loose pants, a white T-shirt and light jacket.
Nothing you wouldn’t catch him wearing on Fremantle’s High Street.
Proving he and his band were as tied to home as ever, they played decade-old psychedelic hits like Let It Happen and Eventually with the same level of enthusiasm as newer, poppier tunes Loser and Dracula.
“We finally made it back to Perth, it’s a hometown show,” Parker addressed fans in an extended monologue.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how special this is. I’ve been thinking about tonight for a long time.”
Red lasers, heavy synth, and ultra-personal cameras followed the performer around the arena at various stages.
One highlight came when the Dockers’ number one ticket holder scurried away for his traditional mid-show toilet break, only to comically bump into Freo star Andy Brayshaw mid-stream in the cubicle.
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The obvious set-up brought hysterical laughter from the crowd, and added another layer of parochialism to a show that had plenty of love for the Freo tragic to begin with.
Later, Parker could be heard asking, “Who started the Freo chant?” as a familiar “Freo! Freo!” chorus began to echo.
It wasn’t the first time such a chant had been heard during one of his live shows, with the frontman having recently encouraged American audiences to get behind the Dockers on the road to the AFL grand final in September.
In another display of his on-stage comfort, Parker was seen laying down at one point with his face and body directed at the ceiling as if being sucked into a vortex of spiralling light.
It wasn’t his only horizontal moment, setting aside some time to DJ from his B-stage — a miniature bedroom-like set up in the mosh pit.
Almost two hours in, and following a confetti blast at the conclusion of My Old Ways — the first song off the latest album — the band disappeared before an entirely expected encore triggered their return.
Perhaps three of their most important songs were saved for last.
Dracula — arguably Tame Impala’s greatest bridge to TikTok algorithm dwellers, Gen Zs.
The Less I Know the Better — one of the band’s most iconic and quintessentially “Tame” tunes. Extra special as it appeared the band members’ young children were brought up to dance in the centre of the stage as it was performed.
And finally, End of Summer — the first track Parker teased from his Deadbeat record.
With a set list that also featured Feels Like We Only Go Backwards, Elephant, and New Person, Same Old Mistakes, there wasn’t too much more fans could have asked for.
Perhaps all that was missing was a live play of one of Parker’s tunes with big-name collaborators Dua Lipa, Jennie, or Travis Scott, but that was never really on the cards.
Or more hopefully, a first crack at Flower In A Hurricane — the guitar-heavy tune he just dropped alongside Justice, SZA, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard that features on the GTA IV soundtrack.
Otherwise, it was a more-than-worthy return to WA for homecoming kings, Tame Impala.
Rating
Four stars out of five.