Kevin Parker takes fans where no rock star has ever before during an intimate backstage moment during Tame Impala’s Deadbeat tour.
While other superstars disappear from stage for a quick costume change, Parker takes a cameraman with him when he goes for his mid-show bathroom break.
The band continues to play as the camera follows him going into the toilet, but then drops to a view of his feet until he completes his business before panning up to show him washing his hands and tousling his hair before heading back into the arena.
It’s a skit, of course, but a quintessentially, hilarious Australian bit that Parker has built into the show he’s bringing back home in October.
“Put it this way, every out-there idea we’ve ever had, we’ve gone through with – including the camera following me into the toilet when I’m taking a leak,” the Grammy-winning artist said.
“It happened on every show on the US tour because I’m drinking fluids on stage and the show is long so we were trying to factor in a pee break when I’m in the middle of the arena.
“So the solution was to just like make a thing out of it. We’re always looking for ways to embrace the chaos.”
Parker has booked four arena concerts – so far – for the Australian leg of the world tour, opening at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on October 10, then heading to Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on October 14, Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on October 19 and to Perth’s RAC Arena on October 24.
With big gaps between each of the capital city dates, it wouldn’t be a surprise for extra shows to roll out.
Parker prides himself on giving his Australian fans as much bang for their buck and will bring the full Deadbeat production and all its dazzling lighting and lasers back home.
Tame Impala is a truly global star attraction both with their own tour or as a headlining festival act so the production budget for the Deadbeat show is “as high as it’s ever been.”
And he’s aware that sometimes Aussie fans get scaled down versions of the same show international artists stage during American and European tour legs.
“It is just so important for me for those shows (in Australia) to be epic – to the point that I’m not as concerned with how profitable the tour is, if that makes sense,” Parker said.
“I just want to do what we do in the rest of the world in my home country, in my home cities, even if it’s harder to do it.
“The thing with the international bands is that they sort of dial back the production for Australia because you have to fly rather than drive between cities so that just makes everything really expensive.”
Parker kicked off 2026 with a winning streak. Tame Impala’s hit single Dracula came in at No. 3 on Triple J’s Hottest 100 and claimed the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Recording with End of Summer.
The first round of tickets for the Deadbeat Australian shows go on sale to Frontier Members with the pre-sale opening on February 25 from 9am local times via frontiertouring.com/tameimpala
The general ticket sale kicks off on February 27 from 11am local times via ticketek.com.au
