Travis Scott is not just an entertainer. He is a superhero. Most performers would be content to hop on stage, recite a couple of bars, hype up the crowd for an hour or two and then go home, satisfied for a job well done. Not Travis Scott. Some rappers (and they are right to do so) prefer to limit their interactions with their crowd out of concern for their own safety. Not Travis Scott. Last, but not least, the majority of artists tend to stick to what is commonly done out of fear of alienating their fans with something new. Again, not Travis Scott.
Montreal was on fire last night when the Houston rapper took the stage and delivered one of the most entertaining performances of the decade. One can’t help but be impressed by the level of commitment displayed by Travis Scott during his Astroworld tour and he needs to be applauded. I would certainly love to be a fly on the wall when Travis was pitching his concept to his production designers: “I want to perform on two stages and travel back and forth between them on a rollercoaster that my audience will be also able to ride with me. Oh, and I want to set off fireworks inside the building”. It’s easy to see why Joe Budden theorized that Travis probably took his entire earnings from his well received album and put it directly into his show. But the highlights of Astroworld do not limit itself to the production design. It lies with the fans. That is something Travis Scott is very well aware of and he did not hesitate to make it worth their while.
There was a moment where a couple of fans ran on stage and tried to have their moment of glory beside the Houston artist. As they were exiting the stage, Travis encouraged them to come back and do their thing for a little while before daring them to crowd surf. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the mark of an artist who truly values his supporters. It’s also why Travis Scott will go on to be one of the most appreciated and most revered hip-hop acts of the 2010’s.
That being said, your enjoyment of Astroworld could be limited to how familiar you are with the artist himself. Yes, we need to address “the elephant in the room”. Travis Scott’s previous album never made it past 80,000 copies and it is rather obvious that Astroworld (being his best work) is the project that made him transition from a B-list act to a megastar. And so, for every “Sicko Mode”, “Goosebumps” or “Butterfly Effect”, you will be met with a dozen songs that you might have never heard of if you were not a hardcore fan since “Days Before Rodeo”. You will also require a certain level of tolerance to high volume autotune since it is his most prized signature tool.
With that aside, Travis Scott will be in Toronto on March 7, 2019 and if the Montreal show is indicative of anything, it is that Astroworld is not a tour you will want to miss.
