Sworn By Sound

Review & Setlists: Tame Impala & Djo

Photos by Adriana Gutierrez ; Written by Adriana Gutierrez

Kevin Parker has never built Tame Impala around spectacle alone. His music relies on texture, repetition, psychedelic fuzz, something multilayered, and in a way, the stage production follows a similar approach. On the first of two nights at TD Garden, Boston fans witnessed this melding of the auditory and the visual, crafting a very special and mesmerizing performance, even for those less familiar with Parker’s discography.

Massachusetts native Joe Keery opened the evening as Djo. While many fans first knew Keery from his acting career, his music has evolved into something deeply personal yet fun, and it’s apparent from his endearingly animated stage presence that this project holds a special place in his heart. The two Boston tour dates carried extra meaning as well, with Keery shouting out family members during his set. Around the middle point of Tame Impala’s set, Keery came back to the stage for Parker’s song “Loser,” briefly sharing the microphone and playing guitar towards the end of the song, earning one of the more animated responses from the crowd that night. Keery appeared in the official music video for “Loser” last year.

Tame Impala’s ‘Deadbeat Tour’ — named after his 2025 album of the same name — centers on a raised circular stage placed in the middle of the arena under a massive suspended LED structure. The design gives every section a clear view, especially with Parker periodically circling the edge of the stage during his 2-hour set. The overhead screens switched from live black-and-white footage of Parker to flashing abstract visuals. Rings of lights changed from deep pink to orange, blue, and green. A dense haze filled the air as well, allowing the several lasers to stretch across TD Garden in hypnotic parallel lines reaching far beyond the stage. At several points, especially during the mostly instrumental b-stage portion of the set, the show looked and sounded more like a massive nightclub, or an intricate DJ set. Parker has the ability to emotionally reconstruct a space with his music in this way.

While many songs had spectacular lighting design to match the mood of his songs, there were moments of visual refuge scattered throughout the set. During the b-stage moments especially, Parker was spotlighted very simply while he sat on the carpeted stage surrounded by cozy incandescent lamps, keyboards, and synthesizers.

By the end of the night, the lighting, video, and stage design felt inseparable from the music itself. It’s safe to say Tame Impala had one of the most visually memorable productions to reach TD Garden this year.