‘Circus Maximus Tour’ Review: Travis Scott Certifies Himself As Performer Of The Decade

Wrapping up the Australian leg of his Circus Maximus Tour, Travis Scott took Brisbane for a journey. Read our Circus Maximus Tour review below.

Over the past decade, Travis Scott has been building a name for himself, as a performer and an artist, fast becoming one of if not THE biggest rappers in the industry. The day before the Brisbane date of his Circus Maximus Tour, I managed to secure tickets for the in-demand concert.

Upon arrival, we as an audience were treated to a swarm of people, and once arriving in our seats, audiences were treated to a 90-minute wait time while the pre-show DJ and Travis were preparing. While the wait was endured, the mosh pit on the ground level sectioned itself into occasional circles, with people fighting for fun and doing the occasional backflip. One attendee, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and a bumbag, attempted a backflip and landed on his back, sending the entire audience into audible groans.

The pre-show itself was pretty great, playing some songs that resonated with the crowd pretty well, songs from artists such as Central Cee, Pop Smoke etc. But what stood out to me in that specific pre-show, was the playing of Kanye West’s unreleased “Everybody” song, which should be released with Vultures 3 (if it ever does). The pre-show ended and we were met with another 30-minute wait time. 

As Travis entered the stage, alongside DJ CHASE B, with the opening song “Hyaena”, the crowd just absolutely oozed energy and was likely heard at least 10 km away. The production, both in terms of the songs and the physical sound and lighting design, blew me away. A sensual experience in almost every regard, it was genuinely one of the best things I have personally experienced as a hip-hop/rap fan. 

Find the setlist, all performed by Travis Scott solo, below:

• “Hyaena” 
• “Thank God”
• “Modern Jam” ft. Teezo Touchdown
• Lil Uzi Vert’s “Aye” ft. Travis Scott
• “sdp interlude”
• Future & Metro Boomin’s “Type Shit” ft. Travis Scott, Playboi Carti
• “Nightcrawler” ft. Swae Lee, Chief Keef
• “Sirens”
• “Upper Echelon” ft. T.I., 2 Chainz
• Kanye West’s “Praise God”
• “God’s Country
• “My Eyes”
• “Butterfly Effect”
• “Highest In The Room”
• “Mamacita” ft. Rich Homie Quan, Young Thug
• “Circus Maximus” ft. The Weeknd, Swae Lee
• “Delresto (Echoes)” ft. Beyoncé
• “I Know ?”
• “90210” ft. Kacy Hill
• “Meltdown” ft. Drake
• “Topia Twins” ft. Rob49 & 21 Savage
• “No Bystanders”
• “FE!N” ft. Playboi Carti
• “Sicko Mode”
• “Antidote”
• “goosebumps”
• “Stargazing”
• “Telekinesis” ft. SZA, Future

Scott’s ability to incorporate the audience into the performance itself is like no other, further energising the crowd with his catchy hooks and interactive choruses. Not only did he pay attention to the obvious mosh, but he served the entire audience. Front to back left to right, and each row of the stadium too. You truly felt included as an audience member, as exemplified in the songs where he brought a group of ski mask-laden boys onto the stage, and at the transition into “No Bystanders”, where he exposed a member refusing to put their hands up. 

When the time came for the titular song of the tour, “Circus Maximus”, the lights came up and the concert was interrupted by a pause for about ten minutes. Many audience members, based on who I talked to at least, were under the impression that they were bringing out The Weeknd for his feature on the song, due to his attendance at other Australia showings. But that was not the case, as a mosh pit ticket holder had suffered a seizure and was rushed to field medics before the showing could continue. 

Another feat I was proud to witness at the concert was his performance of “My Eyes”, which the crowd absolutely erupted at. The lightwork during the latter half of the song was honestly a masterclass, filling so much of the air above the mosh with light that you would have thought it was the aurora borealis. The lightwork in one of the first songs of the set, “Modern Jam”, was brilliant too, playing around with some thermal imagery on the displays. 

Perhaps the most impressive of the night though, was of course the main event. “FE!N”. 

What more could be said about this song, it’s a modern stadium classic at this point. Its easily memorable lyrics (or honestly lack thereof) make it incredibly easy to sing aloud, and by aloud, I mean LOUD, as exemplified in the performance. Scott performed the ballad six or seven times consecutively, the audience not quieting down for a second until he stopped. He stopped for a minute or so, staring into the microphone while the audience began chanting the name of the song. Scott nodded, and above an onslaught of fireballs crisscrossed the air and he began performing again in one of my favourite moments of the entire night. 

Another moment that happened earlier in the “FE!N” segment, was one of the first transitions to the next performance. All went quiet and in the middle of audience cheers, Scott screamed “THEY FE!NIN’ FOR MORE”, sending the audience to a point that I thought was previously unachievable. This is of course the man who caused (the equivalent of) an earthquake in Rome performing the same setlist, so I suppose I shouldn’t have doubted it. And then following the “FE!N” Train, the next stop was “Sicko Mode”, which just speaks for itself. 

All in all, I think for the price I paid, the seats I received and the utterly amazing time I experienced, this was worth every single dollar. Travis Scott is indubitably one of the geniuses of the rap genre and certainly the best performer currently working. The images I’ve used in this article genuinely don’t do it justice, an experience that needs to be seen to be believed.

The Circus Maximus Tour will experience its last showings in Auckland on October 30th, in Las Vegas on November 16th-17th, and in Miami Gardens on December 14th. Travis Scott’s UTOPIA is now available for streaming on all major music streaming platforms.  

Thanks for reading this Circus Maximus Tour review, for more articles stay tuned here at Feature First.