Tame Impala returned to the stage on Monday (10/27) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, performing a two-hour show that marked Kevin Parker’s first full arena outing in several years.
Celebrating his new album Deadbeat, released this month on Columbia Records, it's his first collection of material in five years since the smash success of The Slow Rush.
Sadly it was the accolades and record sales that sent him spiraling into imposter syndrome.
“The more success that I have, the more I feel like I’m living a lie. It’s a sham,” the multi-instrumentalist who turns 40 in January admitted to GQ.
One way to combat those demons in his head was to name the new wax Deadbeat, a title he said “felt so warm and comforting for the world to know that’s how I see myself.”
Unfortunately some critics have also started to turn on the popular music maker's new direction.
Pitchfork’s Sam Goldner wrote that Deadbeat “takes a left turn onto the dancefloor and sounds quite lost,” adding that the Aussie may have been too confessional to the point that he “hasn’t yet found the balance between introspection and immersion.”
The fans, however, seem to be on board, despite Kevin's self-esteem or Pitchfork's pouty 4.8 rating. Tickets for the 19,000 capacity Barclays tour kick off on Monday (10/27) sold out so quickly, additional dates had to be added, making his NY mini residency a four-night stay.
Meanwhile the comments left on Twitter, Instagram, and beneath the music video of "My Old Ways" are positive. Indeed that video has received over 1.8 million views despite being less than two weeks old.
Wherever Parker is headed, the fans are ready to follow.
The maestro is being joined by familiar players: Dominic Simper (formerly of Pond) on guitar and synthesizer, Jay Watson (Gum, Pond) on keys, guitar, and vocals, Cam Avery (The Growl) on bass and vocals, and Julien Barbagallo (Aquaserge) on drums and percussion.
Meanwhile the set up is an in-the-round situation with enough screens framing the stage that no matter where you wind up, you can see.
It might be a good thing Kevin is feeling the way he is because Deadbeat has a lot to try to match.
After being released in February 2020, The Slow Rush debuted at #1 in Australia and #3 on the Billboard 200, later earning two Grammy nominations for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rock Song for “Lost in Yesterday.”
It won five ARIA Awards including Album of the Year and Engineer of the Year. The Slow Rush Tour stretched from early 2020 into 2022, with sold-out dates across North America, Europe, and Australia, including headline shows at the O2 Arena in London, Foro Sol in Mexico City, and two nights at the Forum in LA.
But Deadbeat has momentum, debuting at #4 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, #2 on both the UK Albums Chart and the ARIA Albums Chart in Australia, and reached #1 on France’s Rock and Metal Albums chart. The video for "Loser" is approaching 9 million views since it debuted four weeks ago.
Meanwhile, just in time for Halloween, “Dracula” is currently #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 - his first Top 40 hit.
Suck it, Pitchfork.
The opening night at Barclays featured live or public debuts for “Dracula,” “Loser,” “My Old Ways,” “Ethereal Connection,” “Not My World,” “Obsolete,” and “Piece of Heaven.”
The encore featured the project’s first performance of Justice’s “Neverender,” followed by “End of Summer,” another debut.
After they get out of NYC, Tame Impala will be hitting basketball arenas in Chicago, Austin, and California including multiple nights in LA and Oakland.
The next spring the tour heads to Europe. Grab your tickets on the Tame Impala website.
Deadbeat World Tour 2025-2026
10/31-11/01 Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
11/03 United Center, Chicago, IL
11/06 Moody Center, Austin, TX
11/09 Pechanga Arena, San Diego, CA
11/11-11/12 Kia Forum, Inglewood, CA
11/14-11/15 Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA
11/17 Kia Forum, Inglewood, CA
4/04 Super Bock Arena - Pavilhão Rosa Mota, Porto, Portugal
4/05 MEO Arena, Lisbon, Portugal
4/07 Movistar Arena, Madrid, Spain
4/08 Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain
4/10 LDLC Arena, Lyon, France
4/12 Inalpi Arena, Turin, Italy
4/13 Unipol Arena, Bologna, Italy
4/14 Hallenstadion, Zürich, Switzerland
4/16 Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
4/18 PreZero Arena, Gliwice, Poland
4/20 O2 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
4/23 Barclays Arena, Hamburg, Germany
4/25 Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
4/26 Avicii Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
4/27 Unity Arena, Oslo, Norway
4/29 Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany
4/30 Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
5/01 PSD Bank Dome, Düsseldorf, Germany
5/03 Accor Arena, Paris, France
5/04 Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, Netherlands
5/05 AFAS Dome, Antwerp, Belgium
5/07 The O2, London, UK
5/08 Co-op Live Arena, Manchester, UK
5/09 Utilita Arena Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
5/11 OVO Hydro, Glasgow, UK
5/13 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland
