REVIEW: Tame Impala Transcends Reality at Austin’s Moody Center
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY SOPHIE GRAGG ☆
Photos By Colt Grice
THERE ARE CONCERTS, AND THEN THERE ARE EXPERIENCES THAT COMPLETELY REWIRE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT LIVE MUSIC. Tame Impala’s show at Austin’s Moody Center was the latter. From the first shimmering notes of “Apocalypse Dreams” to the final chorus of “The Less I Know the Better,” Kevin Parker and his band transformed the sold-out arena into an ethereal, technicolor soundscape. It was a night where light, sound, and emotion collided, and where fans, both longtime devotees and new Gen Z converts, surrendered to the spell.
As the fall breeze rolled through the venue, the crowd swelled with anticipation. The stage —circular and centered — made the massive space feel strangely intimate. Parker’s setlist was a perfect reflection of Tame Impala’s evolution: a time capsule of the project’s past lives and present experiments. There were early psychedelic staples like “Endors Toi” and “Elephant,” blissed-out fan favorites “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” and “Let It Happen,” and the lush, introspective textures of The Slow Rush. Even the new material felt instantly familiar, pulsing with the danceable, electronic undercurrents that have become central to Parker’s newer work. When Kevin took the mic to announce that Austin had broken the Moody Center’s all-time attendance record, the crowd erupted — the collective energy of over 15,000 bodies moving as one.
Midway through the night, Parker disappeared for a brief, playful “bathroom break,” only to return on a smaller B-stage for a hypnotic interlude of ambient, looping tracks like “No Reply” and “Ethereal Connection.” The transition from sprawling psych-rock to Berlin-style techno was seamless — a reminder of Parker’s genius for emotional pacing and sonic exploration. By the time the main stage returned to life with “Expectation,” “Yes I’m Changing,” and “New Person, Same Old Mistakes,” the crowd was completely entranced, every lyric echoing like a shared mantra.
The production itself was jaw-dropping — lasers and visuals choreographed with impossible precision, each burst of light syncing perfectly with the music’s shifting moods. It wasn’t just a show; it was a fully immersive experience, designed to be felt as much as seen or heard. Parker’s casual crowd banter — warm, funny, unpretentious — somehow made the massive spectacle feel personal. By the time the encore arrived, closing with “My Old Ways” and the iconic “The Less I Know the Better,” the entire arena was on its feet, voices raised in cathartic unison.
Tame Impala’s Moody Center show wasn’t just the best concert of the season — it was a testament to the power of reinvention. Kevin Parker has spent more than a decade redefining modern psych-pop, and yet, his music still manages to surprise, to expand, and to pull listeners somewhere entirely new.
