REVIEW | Travis Scott Brings the Rage to SA

Despite a 1-hour delay caused by bad weather, not even rain could stop Travis Scott from bringing the rage to his sold-out show at FNB Stadium.

The night started off calm, with a light drizzle that got heavier as over 70,000 people filled the venue. Most fans didn’t have ponchos, so by the time the show was supposed to start, everyone was shivering and soaked to some degree. 

My sister and I didn’t have any either – we ended up standing under the ceiling near the stairs leading into the section for seated concertgoers, watching the chaos unfold. 

Crew members were still sweeping water off the stage, a DJ played a few warm-up tracks, but once his set ended, everything went quiet. For over an hour, it was just crickets, idle chatter and the occasional choir of boos from irritated fans.

People anxiously checked their phones in hopes of a social media update from Travis. No one wanted to say it out loud, but we were all beginning to wonder if the show was going to be cancelled.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed as a voiceover blasted through the speakers, smoke filled the stage, a large LED screen that read 'CIRCUS MAXIMUS TOUR' in neon red text flickered to life.

Travis literally launched into the air before landing mid-bar as “Hyaena” started, flames lit up the stage - the stadium erupted into ear-shattering cheers, every ounce of frustration from the delay disappeared in seconds.

He went straight into Utopia tracks like “Thank God” and “Modern Jam", running and jumping all around the slick stage like the earlier rain had never happened. 

The setlist was perfectly balanced, a mix of newer cuts like "Backrooms" and "Type Sh*t" flawlessly transitioned into older tracks, "Upper Echelon", "Mamacita" and "Butterfly Effect" had the whole crowd screaming like they'd dropped yesterday.

When he performed “Dumbo” and “Champain & Vacay” from JackBoys 2, he brought a few lucky fans up on stage to rage with him. It felt raw and spontaneous, a reminder that chaos is part of what makes a Travis Scott show so thrilling. 

"I Know ?" and "90210" gave fans a breather, he even started to become emotional at one point during his show. For the first time all night, Travis stood still, crouching as he looked visibly overwhelmed by the love from the crowd.

Maybe it was the fans, maybe it was being back in South Africa after all these years, but you could tell the moment hit him hard - a realization that he'd truly made it this far in his career.

The true highlight of the night was Travis performing “FE!N" five times in a row, each time the beat dropped, the energy somehow grew even wilder. 

He ended the show with a beautiful rendition of “Telekinesis,” the stage was bathed in a soft blue light as Travis harmonized to the melody - it felt like watching the credits roll at the end of a movie.

The concert ended rather abruptly. There was no encore or longwinded farewell speech. "PBT" being played was our signal to leave FNB Stadium.

As we made our way out, soaked clothes clinging to our skin and shoes squeaking on the wet concrete, no one seemed to care. Everyone was smiling, still buzzing, still singing.

Travis Scott didn’t just perform in Johannesburg, he shared the night with us. Through the rain, the wait, and the madness, he turned it into something unforgettable.

Utopia wasn’t just an album title that night. It was the feeling.