In the packed Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, a rowdy crowd anxiously awaited Travis Scott’s arrival until an android voice filled the stadium, “Greetings from Utopia, before the show starts, open it up.” Once the crowd heard those words, the entire stadium got on its feet and was ecstatic for this concert. That reaction alone shows how much of a grip he has on the rap genre and fans in today’s rap culture.
With Scott’s fourth studio album, “Utopia,” released in July, Scott started his tour in Charlotte, North Carolina, at Spectrum Center on Oct. 11, with 49 other shows across North America that almost instantly sold out. But with the addition of new dates, demand for tickets began to decline, allowing concertgoers to purchase tickets for as low as $10 in some cities. Even with the low demand for tickets, Scott’s tour is projected to make $80 million along with merch sales that have been setting records, like at Denver’s Ball Arena with $1.06 million in sales on Oct. 17-18. With tickets starting as cheap as $10 and upwards of hundreds of dollars for general admission, no matter what price you pay, the Utopia Tour is worth the money.
No matter how big or small of a Scott fan you are, he takes full advantage of his versatile discography with his setlist. He opened with “Hyaena,” the first song on the “Utopia” album, which set the tone for the rest of his performance. He continued to perform songs from the rest of the album including “Thank God,” “Modern Jam,” “My Eyes,” “I Know ?” and “Fe!n.” Scott, giving his more hardcore fans some enjoyment, played “Fe!n” a total of three times, which made the crowd electric.
Along with the songs from his newest album, he performed his hit songs from his “Astroworld” album such as “No Bystanders,” “Butterfly Effect” and “Sicko Mode.” Even though over half of Scott’s songs performed were fairly recent, he did not forget his older fan base by playing his classics, “90210,” “Goosebumps” and “Antidote.” To add to that stacked setlist, Scott also surprised fans with a tribute to his mentor, Kanye West, by performing their song “Praise God” from West’s most recent album, “Donda.”
Travis Scott would not have been as good as he was without the complex stage design and Scott’s interaction with the crowd. The spread out and unique stage, with ancient architecture and alberate statues, allowed for Scott to run around the entire floor of the stadium to perform to all sections of the crowd. The addition of smoke machines, fire, fireworks and crazy visuals perfectly matched the vibes of each song he performed, elevating Scott’s showmanship.
Scott was never shy to interact with the crowd and keep them engaged by starting chants or telling stories about his music. In the general admission, a few lucky fans were chosen to come up on stage and ride a platform across the main floor, giving them a memorable experience they won’t forget.
His show was only about an hour and a half long, which meant a handful of his songs were left out like “Can’t Say” and “Through the Late Night,” which was unfortunate. Scott also ended his show with his song with Future and SZA, “Telekinesis,” which he left halfway through, leaving fans with a mediocre ending to his incredible show. At some parts of the show, there were some audio balancing issues with the music and Scott’s autotune, but those reasons do not come close to why Scott is one of the best rap performers today. Scott combines a well thought out setlist, articulate set design and engagement with the crowd to create an amazing experience for all sorts of fans. If the Utopia Tour is coming to a city near you, don’t hesitate to pull the trigger on a ticket.
