Tame Impala and
his Electric Deadbeat Tour
Written and photographed by Ashley Wehrs, Graphics & Color Grading by Emma A. Walker
Tame Impala has become well-known for his skillful abilities to write, produce, and perform his own music. Introducing many to the world of psychedelic pop and rock, Tame Impala has reached international success as a two-time grammy award winner, fifteen-time ARIA award winner, and a winner of a BRIT award. While “Tame Impala is just one guy,” when he tours, he’s supported by an incredible band of musicians and a fantastically executed light show. Tame Impala is currently touring his 2026-2027 Deadbeat Tour.
The State Farm Arena hosted the Deadbeat Tour with opener DJO on July 11th and 12th, 2026 at 7 p.m. July 12th, I was transported into a world of electric color, an extremely respectful crowd, and notably intentional artistry to interact with the entirety of the arena. Leading up to the set the crowd was truly buzzing. As I walked through the pit the 7:15 p.m. opener DJO may have been just as anticipated as Tame Impala himself.
DJO was a psychedelic, mood-setting, complimentary opener to Tame Impala. To be honest, DJO is just cool. The audience was graced with ten absolute bangers, including “Basic Being Basic”, “Delete Ya”, and “End of Beginning.” The unified audience echoed every lyric. Tame Impala couldn’t of worded his Joe Keery shoutout better, “What a fucking combo for a tour!”.
Tame Impala’s set in the Deadbeat Tour treats fans to over twenty songs, starting with “Apocalypse Dreams”, “Deadbeat Jam”, and “Borderline.” He holds the crowd’s attention with his remarkably calming presence amongst a hyperactive lights show worthy of it’s own art installation.
Seven songs later, Tame Impala cued up the well awaited “Afterthought” – “Holy shit Atlanta, it’s heating up in here!”. The crowds’ screams and jumps caused the stands to reverberate under my feet. The arena was truly alive. Replicated imagery flashed on screens as Tame Impala descended the stage and took a lap around the stage.
Throughout the concert Tame Impala took advantage of the circular set, frequently lapping the stage, standing ten toes down on each side, and sitting to face Stage B side. “Let me say hi for a second, let me look at ya’ll!”
While the flashing lights, laser show, and crowd-captivating music are all notable parts of the Deadbeat Tour, audience members were immediately filled with laughter by Tame Impala’s live recording break to… the bathroom. “Bathroom break!” a fan in the row in front of me proclaimed. Which is exactly what happened. He took a piss, washed his hands, and returned to the main arena for his first steps onto Stage B! The crowd was thrilled to know Tame Impala washes his hands.
Stage B was a compact, circular stage covered in a cozy rug, pillows, and four warmly lit lamps. Tame Impala sat amongst his equipment, seemingly entering an instrumental flow state. A spotlight hits him from above, periodically flashing. There’s no other way to describe it than that man was truly just vibing. “Ethereal Connection” and “Not My World” felt remarkably intimate amongst a crowd of thousands, and initiated a wave of phone flashlight ambiance.
As Tame Impala returned to the main stage, the surrounding screens played looping gray static waves. The imagery rushed across the screens cueing… “let it happen, let it happen, let it happen.” The arena transitioned to a swim in aquamarine dreams, flashing blues, greens, and purples. Circular lights spun across the audience, almost like fish in the sea. Arguably most important, the audience was embraced by a shower of confetti.
With the stage coated in the confetti icing, the audience was delightfully surprised with the inclusion of “Light of People to Try and Forget About”.
All night the audience anticipated “Dracula”. Leveraging the elevating anticipation, “For the very last time tonight, let’s boogie. Let’s boogie like there’s no tomorrow!”. Fluorescent reds encapsulated the audience.
Right when everyone thought it was time to go, a rainbow of colors showered the crowd for, “The Less I Know The Better”... “Come on Superman, say your stupid line.” Tame Impala officially introduced the last song of the song, “End of Summer”, yelling out, “This is the last chance we get together for tonight. Let’s make it count!”
If there’s one thing to say about the Deadbeat Tour, Tame Impala made every moment count.