Travis Scott kicked off his much anticipated Astroworld tour in Baltimore’s very own Royal Farms Arena this past week. Fresh from the release of his platinum record, Astroworld, Scott’s first stop was loaded with adoring fans, filling up the stadium and proving him as one of the biggest names in hip-hop.
The tour did not solely include Scott. He also brought along popular artists such as Sheck Wes, Trippie Redd and Gunna. Being relatively established artists themselves, their opening performances set the tone for Scott’s headlining act perfectly. With most concerts, opening acts often lack crowd involvement and are not the main reason fans attend the show.
However, the opening lineup managed to get the crowd dancing and singing along as though they were headliners. Possibly because of the similar fan bases the artists share, the entire audience blissfully enjoyed every opener, thus creating extreme anticipation in the fans by the time it was Scott’s turn to grace the stage.
The crowd murmured in the dim arena patiently waiting for their idol to emerge. Suddenly, the back wall of the arena lit up and began to play a video of different visuals, all fitting Scott’s aesthetic and Astroworld theme. Below, Scott appeared and when the beat of his hit song “Stargazing” dropped, the crowd erupted in happiness.
The echo of Scott’s famous auto tune vibrated through the building, while smoke and fireworks went off around the eccentric artist. The atmosphere was electric from the moment Scott opened his mouth and fans could not get enough of it.
A nice touch that Scott added was that he sang songs from all of his projects, including his first mixtapes. It was a nice way to pay homage to his loyal fans that have watched him blossom into the superstar that he is today. Despite playing songs from years back, the entire crowd jumped and sang as if they had rehearsed them. Mosh pits broke out like war zones in the standing area below the stage, resulting in thousands of fans bouncing and pushing with a passion that could only be matched by Scott himself.
Without question, this tour will solidify Scott’s reputation of being one of the best live performers in music. His ability to even maintain his energy given all of the running and jumping he does on stage is impressive, not to mention the attention to detail that was put into the show.
Not only was there the video screen that displayed new visuals throughout the show, but he also had a gigantic astronaut appear, canvases that stretched to the length of the floor with colorful phrases projected onto them and most notably, an entire roller coaster that he rode over the crowd while still performing. The creativity, energy, and music all combined perfectly to create one of, if not the most entertaining concert Baltimore has hosted in recent years.
For those interested in experiencing a Travis Scott show themselves, he returns to the Mid-Atlantic region Nov. 29 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. For any concert lover or rap enthusiast, this is an opportunity to witness an event like no other.