Tame Impala at the Hollywood Bowl

The Hollywood Bowl closed out its 2021 season with two nights of Tame Impala (11/2 and 11/3).

Tame Impala is actually one person Australian artist Kevin Parker with a touring band. Tame Impala’s debut album was released in 2010 and went platinum in Australia. It was Tame Impala’s third album Currents that was a breakthrough album in the U.S. going platinum and hitting number four on the charts and in Australia and New Zealand number one.  Tame Impala’s latest album was released in February 2020 The Slow Rush went to number three in the U.S. and number one in Australia. Tame Impala has 10 charting singles in the U.S. Outside of Tame Impala, Parker as a producer has worked with the Flaming Lips, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Mark Ronson, and Travis Scott.

Just before lockdowns began, Tame Impala’s final shows happened to be two nights at the Forum. To sell out four shows in the same city of nearly 18,000 people back to back years is quite an achievement. However, with the difference between the Forum and The Bowl with the type of special effects used, an outdoor venue works a lot better just like when I saw David Gilmour at both the Forum and Hollywood Bowl.

Tame Impala began this run of shows in Chicago, IL two months ago and two days before these shows played Outside Lands. I  would describe Tame Impala’s show as a modern day Pink Floyd with the round screen and laser beams, and also Roger Waters solo with a screen stretching across the whole stage. Also some similarities to the Flaming Lips which were a big influence on Tame Impala. The visuals and sound of a Tame Impala show surpass any group of the past decade. Tame Impala’s touring band consists of Cam Avery (Synthesizer), Jay Watson (Bass), Dominic Simper (Keys/Guitar), and Julien Barbagallo (Drums).

The show opened with “One More Year.” For the second show, Tame Impala played “Beverly Laurel” for the first time in the U.S. while night one “Keep On Lying” was played for the first time on this tour. The show included hits you often hear on the radio like “Elephant,” and “Lost in Yesterday.” The encore consisted of “The Less I Know the Better,” and “One More Hour.”

Setlist: 11-3

1. One More Year

2. Endors toi

3. Nangs

4. Borderline

5. Mind Mischief

6. Breathe Deeper

7. Posthumous Forgiveness

8. Skeletons- Travis Scott

9. Elephant

10. Lost in Yesterday

11. Apocalypse Dreams

12. Mutant Gossip

13. Let It Happen

14. Feels Like We Only Go Backwards

15. Beverly Laurel
    (Tour debut; first US performance)

16. Eventually

17. Runway, Houses, City, Clouds

18. New Person, Same Old Mistakes

Encore

19. The Less I Know the Better

20. One More Hour