Nashville Let It Happen: Tame Impala transforms Bridgestone Arena
- Erin Folk
- Aug 7
- 3 min read
Kevin Parker, Tame Impala, brought his Deadbeat Tour to Bridgestone Arena for two sold-out nights with opening act DJO.
The night began with Apocalypse Dreams from Tame Impala's 2012 album, Lonerism, quickly setting the tone for the rest of the show. For two hours, Parker took concertgoers on a journey spanning five albums and 16 years of music.
Midway through the set, Parker made his way to a secondary b-stage arranged in a cozy, living room-inspired scene, with DJ controllers and keyboards spread across the stage's floor alongside lamps, pillows, and rugs. He remained here for two songs, manually building and mixing "Ethereal Connection" and "Not My World" off Deadbeat. After constructing the songs live, Parker casually laid down to deliver the vocals, captured by a bird's-eye camera angle that made the moment feel as if he were performing in the comfort of his own home.
Kevin carries himself with an effortless nonchalance. He lets the music take center stage and curates an immersive experience filled with a rainbow of lights, lasers, and psychedelic long-exposure cinematography to supplement it. LED screens frequently raised and lowered, and during "Deadbeat Jam", the word "DEADBEAT" displayed in large letters circled the stage as Parker walked around his 360° setup. At one point, the camera followed Kevin backstage for a bathroom break as the music played, and in a bemusing moment, the crowd erupted in applause as the frontman made sure to wash his hands.
At each stop of the tour, Kevin plays one song not on the typical setlist. Fans at night two were delighted to hear "List of People (To Try and Forget About)", a B-side from 2015's Currents, selected as the special track. The emotional and melancholic song was a cathartic moment for those who appreciate the more vulnerable corners of Parker's songwriting.
For a city so deeply associated with country music, it was especially refreshing to see the Nashville community's appetite for alternative music. Tickets for the back-to-back shows sold out in mere hours, and even as the second-largest venue in Nashville,
Bridgestone felt intimate and quaint as die-hard and casual fans alike danced in unity all for the love of one guy from Perth. Perfectly-timed confetti punctuated the drops of "Let It Happen" and "New Person, Same Old Mistakes", and blanketed Bridgestone Arena in a kaleidoscope of color, as the venue erupted into what felt like a 20,000-person dance party.
Returning for an encore, Parker closed out the night with "My Old Ways", the smash-hit "The Less I Know The Better", and "End of Summer". The final stretch assembled the different eras of Tame Impala, highlighting the continuing evolution of Parker's music. New and old fans alike left Bridgestone having experienced the full spectrum of Tame Impala's music, from its psychedelic roots to its ongoing expansion into new, genre-bending territory. It's hard to predict where Kevin will venture next musically, but as Tame Impala remains a project defined by experimentation, the next chapter will undoubtedly be one worth watching.
You can catch Tame Impala on the remaining 24 tour stops of the 'Deadbeat Tour'. To stay up-to-date with Kevin's happenings, visit tameimpala.com and follow him on Instagram @tameimpala.
SETLIST
Tame Impala - Deadbeat Tour
Nashville, TN - Night 2
Main Stage
Apocalypse Dreams
Deadbeat Jam
Borderline
Loser
Breathe Deeper
Gossip
Elephant
Afterthought
Feels Like We Only Go Backwards
Dracula
No Reply (Reprise)
B-Stage
Ethereal Connection
Not My World
Main Stage
Let it Happen
Nangs
List of People (To Try and Forget About)
Yes I'm Changing
Eventually
New Person, Same Old Mistakes
Encore
My Old Ways
The Less I Know the Better
End of Summer
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