Review: Tame Impala + Dominic Fike + Houston equals major love fest

Tame Impala, the alter ego of Australian singer-songwriter Kevin Parker who headlined the first of two-sold out Toyota Center shows Saturday night, and opening act Dominic Fike sure seem to love Houston. Fike, in his 45-minute set, managed to celebrate brisket, Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion during his rambling asides between songs. Meanwhile, Parker, taking a breather near the end of his two-hour performance, said that he always tells friends back in Australia that his favorite place to play is, not New York or LA, but, wait for it, Houston. At that point, it wouldn’t have been totally surprising if he had tossed in a cover of Paul Wall’s “How ‘Bout Them Stros?”

Now, whether these sentiments are heartfelt or merely the geographic fan service that performers always say to get an easy rise from the crowd, that’s hard to discern. Maybe someone who attended the Dallas show Friday night can chime in here. But, one thing’s for sure, judging from the rapturous reception from the roughly 18,000 assembled souls, Houston certainly loves Tame Impala. 

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But Parker’s ardor may be genuine. He is a longtime friends with Travis Scott and had been due to play Scott’s Astroworld festival in 2021 in which 10 people died in a crowd surge. In fact, at his own headlining White Oak Music Hall show just three days after the tragedy, he said that he recognized that it had been a tough time in the city and that “I know you guys will take care of each other and we’ll take care of you.” 

He continued that mission Saturday with an expansive, often visually impressive, 22-song set that ran the gamut of most of his career (though, unfortunately, nothing from the 2010 debut, “Inner Speaker”) to his latest, the rather lackluster, EDM-influenced “Deadbeat.” Playing on a circular stage set up in the middle of arena, and surrounded by large video screens, Parker and his five-person backing band added a more aggressive texture so that even the less memorable songs, such as “My Old Ways,” possessed more kick than the recorded versions.

But his best tracks dance along the fine line between psychedelia, pop and indie in infectious ways, and they really came alive Saturday night. From the sublime “Borderline” and the bouncy “Let It Happen” to the delirious “New Person, Same Old Mistakes,” the chugging “Elephant,” and the pop-tastic “Less I Know, The Better,” Parker delivered punch after punch.

The crowd’s exultant mood dimmed slightly when, halfway through, Parker left the main stage for a smaller side stage where he played techno DJ/producer for “Ethereal Connection” and “Not My World” from “Deadbeat.” The story behind Parker’s turn to EDM is intriguing as he was heavily influenced by the “bush doof” culture of the outdoor, desert rave scene in his native Western Australia. It all sounds like something out of the trippy, Oscar-nominated Spanish movie “Sirat,” which takes place in a similar atmosphere. He was even wearing a T-shirt sporting the name of Gary Numan, the Kraftwerk-influenced electronic musician from the ’80s who hit it big with “Cars.” But all of that back story is far more interesting than the resulting music which lacks the hooks and melodic charm of Parker’s best work.

But when he returned to his earlier songs, such as the sweetly celebratory “Eventually,” which had the audience raising arms in the air and shouting along at full volume, all was forgiven. By the time of the night’s final confetti shower, his musical detour had been forgotten.

The overhead screens were generally used to focus on Parker, as when a camera followed him into a backstage restroom where he appeared to be use a urinal. But puzzlement in the crowd about what was going on turned to joyous applause when he stopped on his way out to wash his hands. How many other bands out there get kudos onstage for good hygiene? 

Native Floridian Dominic Fike opened with a punchy set of alt-rock/hip-hop fusion that was occasionally undermined by his penchant for meandering between-song patter.

Tame Impala and Fike play again tonight at the Toyota Center.