Travis Scott delivers with 'ASTROWORLD' experience
Travis Scott promised his fans the ride of a lifetime with his "ASTROWORLD: Wish You Were Here" tour, and based off his performance at Newark’s Prudential Center on Saturday, the rapper certainly kept his word.
The rapper gave a high-energy, passionate show, and despite having a big back-to-back headliner at Madison Square Garden the following Tuesday and Wednesday, he didn’t sell New Jersey short.
Opening for Scott were up-and-coming rappers Sheck Wes, Trippie Redd and Gunna. The crowd went wild for Sheck Wes’s massive hit “Mo Bamba,” and Gunna had his own fair share of bangers to perform. He even brought out frequent collaborator, label mate and mentor Young Thug to perform some of their mutual hits, such as “Chanel” and “Oh Okay,” making his set more memorable.
Interestingly, the venue had two stages on either side of the floor, a technique Scott used to keep the audience on their toes. As the music and visuals for his opening song “STARGAZING” blared, each stage took turns lighting up, keeping fans running back and forth trying to guess where Travis would pop up. As fans in general admission ran from stage to stage to get the best view, it was clear that the rapper has established a following that could be compared to a rap "Beatlemania."
In “Stargazing,” Travis describes the relentless nature of his fan base that he’s famous for. “Got a thousand kids outside that’s trying to come alive / I got ‘em stage diving out the nosebleeds.” From a bird’s eye view, it was easy to see how the rapper gets amusement out of this. The crowd jumped in back and forth waves for almost the entire show, with Scott even stopping to choreograph and organize the mosh pits from the stage. Midway through the show, Scott picked a fan out from the crowd to come on stage, encouraging the fan to jump into the pit and crowd surf. The fan was literally met with open arms, and luckily, there were no injuries.
Sticking to the retro amusement park theme, the set was decked out in a roller coaster track on the ceiling, as well as a loop-the-loop track on the right stage that Travis briefly rode for his performance of “CAROUSEL.” Later on in the night, a Travis Scott look-alike mannequin sat in the chair of the loop-the-loop as it spun in circles upside down, playing mind games on the audience as Travis rapped on stage. Fireworks went off from the ceiling and “WISH YOU WERE HERE” holographics projected into thin air, giving a county fair vibe to the show.
Although the tour was largely based on his album “ASTROWORLD,” the rapper also performed songs that made him who he is today, including “90210,” “Mamacita” and “Drugs You Should Try It”. Not everyone in the audience was familiar with his earlier work, suggesting that the success of “ASTROWORLD” is what launched him into mainstream status. Scott also brought out Young Thug, Gunna and Don Toliver as guests to perform their joint hits from the album.
Few rappers have achieved a fan base as young, lively and diverse as Scott, and by the end of the show in a sold-out, booming arena, it was evident that he’s more than just a rapper — he’s a superstar. He possesses a rare “Beatlemania” quality, especially in hip-hop. With rap becoming the most popular genre in America, Scott is proving that he’ll be around for generations to come.
