Do you know that feeling of peace you get when you walk the streets on a stormy evening? The closer we got to the Bell Center, the more it faded. Then, when Travis Scott took the stage, a little before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, a blizzard started inside.
The 20,000 people gathered exploded from the first notes ofHyenafirst song of the album Utopia, launched last July. Although Travis Scott has many successes spread over four other albums and two mixtapesthe tour Circus Maximuis mainly devoted to its most recent release. The two pieces with which he followed, Thank God And Modern Jamappear in the same order on the disc.
The crowd’s energy never diminished with audible spikes for Sirens And God’s Country which followed. The sound was particularly powerful – we were vibrating in place – but when the Houston MC or his DJ, Chase B, asked the audience to make their presence heard, the decibels were possibly even higher.
Trav’s last visit to the Bell Center was in March 2019 and he has repeatedly expressed his joy at being back in Montreal.
He arrived with his amusement park, roller coaster hanging from the ceiling and Ferris wheel included. Since press photographers were not admitted, here is our best description of the enormous scene that occupied almost the entire floor: the ruins of a temple of a people who never existed. Sprouts of fire and occasional explosions of smoke added heat and noise, although there was no lack of any at all. In great shape, Cactus Jack ran and jumped throughout the concert on the hundred meters of the structure with levels of different heights.
On two occasions, he invited spectators to experience a moment they will never forget: to climb on the head of a fake statue to fly over the crowd. Trav even rode with one of them!
Explosive crescendo
Let’s get back to the music. The sequence of Butterfly Effect And Highest in the Room was particularly effective. We would have liked a version of more than a few seconds of Mamacitaa piece taken from Days Before Rodeowhich dates back to 2014. Circus Maximus also liked a lot, but Echoeits surprisingly calmed the audience. I Know was, however, sung in unison. Meltdown kept the pace going, even if Drake didn’t make a surprise appearance. An additional notch has been reached with Topia Twins And No Bystandersbut nothing could prepare us for what was to come.
The mesmerizing keyboards of Fein sounded then Travis began the intro to the explosive piece accompanied by everyone present – or almost.
Then he repeated the exercise 10 more times and the audience kept asking for more – perhaps less so the last time, especially after an inexplicable excursion into the crowd by the artist who seemed worried about security.
It is true that the fury of Fein has few equals. Except perhaps the following: Sicko Fashion. However, Travis Scott seemed to be running out of steam at this point. The crowd visibly sensed this and lessened their enthusiasm. The rapper sent Antidote And Goosebumpsbefore leaving the stage to the sound of SZA’s voice singing about Telekinesis. At 11:18 p.m., calm had returned to the Bell Center and it was time to face the elements outside.