Written by Samantha Ding and Dalia Gulca
Photo by Kirby Gladstein
The enthusiasm was palpable at Travis Scott’s second annual Astroworld festival in
NRG Park this past weekend—energy which prompted many to leap over the fallen barricades
before the gates even officially opened, shown swarming and leaping over puddles on a video
via Scott’s Instagram. “EVERYONE HAVE FUN,” Travis advises in the comments, along with
the more cautionary “BE SAFE RAGE HARD.” The unconventional mix of carnival rides, winding
lines for merch, and varied performances from both hometown heroes and up-and-coming
artists serves both as a nod to Houston and long-departed Six Flags AstroWorld. Over 50,000
people showed up to the festival-amusement park mashup to revel in the energy of the carefully
curated lineup and enjoy the attractions of Scott’s homage to the AstroWorld theme park, both
the namesake for his most popular album and the festival itself.
Besides the obvious musical performances that the typical music festival has, Astroworld
Fest also sought to be an amusement park, heralding back to the memory of the original
AstroWorld. Rides on the festival grounds included a ferris wheel, funhouse, and drop tower, for
which festival goers could buy tickets for $10. These structures towered over the stages,
creating a colorful lit backdrop after the sunset. An unexpected highlight was an inflated dome
near the center of the grounds labeled the “Astrodome”. Inside the dark dome, a projected
countdown timer ran until a Travis Scott song began playing. Intense colored lasers projected
from all sides to the rhythm of “Highest in the Room” and other tracks, pulsating, swinging, and
making colorful shapes and patterns inside the dome. It was extremely well done and an artistic
multimedia experience that was an unexpected surprise.
Trust in Scott’s lineup curating abilities led tickets to sell out long before the lineup was
actually released–a day before the festival. This year’s festival featured two stages: “Thrills” and
“Chills,” the former boasting two women performers (unlike last year’s male-dominated lineup),
Spanish singer Rosalia and Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
Bringing on one of the more memorable sets of the night, Megan Thee Stallion was
greeted with much enthusiasm following her dramatic rise in stardom over the past year,
especially as she was performing in her hometown. Her strong personality and iconic brand
shined through during this festival performance. Dressed in a leopard-print bodysuit and her hair
in a braided ponytail long enough to reach her knees, her look was memorable and dramatic.
Her set included “Cash Shit”, “Big Ole Freak”, and “Hot Girl Summer”, all of which got the crowd
moving. In fact, she invited a handful of audience members to join her on stage to dance.
Yet despite the lineup being released the day before, Gucci Mane mysteriously dropped
out the day of and Megan Thee Stallion performed later as a result, leading Megan fans to
congregate prematurely, leave confused, and rush back to catch her set. There were also some
abrupt endings to many of the sets, the momentum of the performance skidding to a halt, lightly
disconcerting concertgoers very much prepped to mosh. Some late starts and technical
problems also dampened the experience much like the mud festival goers were all sinking in to
as they waited.
The lineup also featured young performers from Scott’s Cactus Jack label (Don Toliver)
and, quite unexpectedly, Marilyn Manson. Many confused Scott fans watched the performance
on the screens surrounding the main stage as they waited for the appearance of Pharrell.
Manson, self aware of his out-of-place-ness, commented on his unexpected appearance: “I bet
you didn’t see this coming, did you?”
Of course, the performance that could not be left unmentioned is that of Travis Scott.
The 50,000-person crowd made its way to the big stage at the end of the night, greeted by Dave
Chappelle, who introduced the headliner. The set opened with a fabricated news clip of Travis
Scott’s recent knee injury, and Scott finally made his appearance. During most of the
performance, he floated above the crowd on a moving platform, presumably staying stationary
because of his injury. Running through songs from his albums “Astroworld”, “birds in the trap
sing mcknight”, and “Rodeo”, he continually kept the energy high. Arguably the highlight of the
night was the surprise appearance of Kanye West, whom Scott introduced as the man who had
taught him everything. West came out for a short two songs: “Follow God” from his new album
“Jesus is King”, and a throwback, “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”. The set finished with Swae Lee
assisting on “Sicko Mode” and fireworks exploding in the sky.
Another aspect of the festival that most definitely can’t be disregarded is the pilgrimage
to the merch booths for both budding and seasoned hype-chasers. One concertgoer admitted to
waiting for four hours for merch, which came as no surprise when confronted with the lines
snaking haphazardly from the booths. The merch was cutely reminiscent of MS Paint, some
featuring stick figures holding hands around a globe and others blatantly declaring “SOUVENIR
SHIRT” in bumbling squiggles. Like the endearingly bad lineup poster design featuring lime
colors on a clashing background, the merch was unconventionally lovable–perhaps another of
Scott’s odes to childhood nostalgia. Many were wearing just-purchased shirts or last year’s
merch–a sea of hoodies blaring “WISH YOU WERE HERE,” symbolic of the massive, singular
shared experience connecting 50,000 Travis Scott fans at Astroworld to his music and also to
that sense of childhood wonder Scott resurrects at his festival.