US rapper Travis Scott’s highly anticipated India debut on Saturday, part of his Circus Maximus tour, has been marred by reports of empty seats, disorganized logistics, and a conspicuously dull crowd, despite the event being promoted as ‘sold out’ at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi.
While official reports highlighted a power-packed performance, social media videos from attendees painted a dramatically different picture, revealing widespread disappointment and a lacklustre atmosphere that has stunned the music world.
Fans Decry ‘Dead Concert’ Vibe
Videos shared by concertgoers have quickly gone viral, showing swathes of empty seating areas and fans in some sections standing rigidly, contrasting sharply with the rapper’s high-energy reputation for mosh pits and crowd surfing.
One woman’s video, showing her enthusiastically dancing alone amidst a stiff audience, captured the sentiment of the night. “How much can I save you, dancing on my own? The truth is that the crowd and the concert were both dead,” she wrote, adding, “I already know he doesn’t wanna show up on [October] 19th now.”
Other social media users echoed the frustration:
- “Trust me… he’s not coming back ever again… dead crowd, half empty arena, people just know 2-3 songs…. 90% of the crowd is uni kids trying to fit in pop culture and they’re there to just make snaps and reels.”
- “Hope Mumbai concert won’t be like this. Why tf people just standin’ there for whatttttt?! Why’d they even bought the tix.”
Organisational Hurdles and Ticket Scalping Blamed
Beyond the crowd’s lack of enthusiasm, attendees leveled harsh criticism at the event’s organisation. Multiple reports confirmed excruciatingly long wait times, with one person complaining that fans were kept waiting for “like 4 hours” without access to water in certain sections. One exhausted fan even shared a video of himself napping in the seats while waiting for the star to appear.
While some blamed the audience’s poor knowledge of the rapper’s discography and a desire merely to capture content for social media, others pointed the finger at the organizers. “Can’t just blame people lol, organisers should have picked a better date and prevented ticket scalping,” read one comment, suggesting that the problem lay in poor ticketing management which may have led to tickets being bought by resellers and failing to reach genuine fans.
However, a different experience was reported in the standing areas. Videos showing mosh pits and high energy for hits like “FE!N” emerged from the Gold and Silver sections, with one attendee noting, “I hate to break it to you but silver standing was full rage.”
Despite the chaos and disappointment, Travis Scott is set to perform again in Delhi on Sunday, October 19, before taking his tour to Mumbai on November 19. Over 3,400 security personnel, including both private staff and Delhi Police officers, were reportedly deployed for the debut show, but the efforts appear to have fallen short of ensuring a smooth experience for all attendees.