Travis Scott Astronomical Concert: Visually Stunning But Too Short

If there’s one thing you can say about Fortnite’s live events, it’s that they keep getting more ambitious. From the original rocket launch to the mech vs. kaiju battle to the black hole that wiped out an entire island, each new event is more elaborate than the last. Now we can say the same is true of the concerts. Last year’s Marshmello show was an exciting, dynamic example of what a virtual concert could look like. This week’s Travis Scott performance blew it out of the water.

Travis Scott’s Astronomical was in concert on Epic Games’ Fortnite Thursday evening, wowing gamers with its spectacular visuals.

Following in the footsteps of a Marshmello performance last year, Scott’s performance was only 10 minutes long. When it was over, gamers were dumped back into their competitions.

Epic had been setting the stage for the concert since last weekend — literally. Over the last few days, players could see a stage being constructed at the Sweaty Sands beach, and it grew more complete as the days passed. There was a black stage on top of the water, and multiple gold, inflatable Travis Scott heads around it.

As with past events, the pre-show was a bloodbath, with players killing each other to kill some time. (Thankfully, respawns were in place.) When the show started, players could see a strange planet-like object floating towards them on a circular screen; when it got close enough, everything blew up and the performance started properly.

Kicking off at 7:05 p.m. ET, the show was a visually spectacular show, featuring a giant Travis Scott. Some of the words were edited in deference to the tender years of the audience. The performance featured Scott taking stars from the sky, holographic dangers, and Scott becoming a Terminator.

The entire Fortnite island was the stage. During the opening song, a giant Scott stomped around the island, while players could run across the water to catch a glimpse. As the tracks changed, so did the visuals. At one point everything was fiery and Scott turned into a cyborg; later it looked like everyone had been transported to Tron. When “Highest in the Room” came on, the crowd was submerged underwater, along with a giant spaceman. There were rollercoasters and psychedelic effects and at the end players were literally flying around the planet.

Users could also participate, with several emojis available, including flaming microphone stands. They also were immersed by floating and walking through the concert, taking in the action from all angles, much as the game allows multiple vantage points.

Besides being available on Fortnite, the event was live-streamed by prominent gamers on their own channels.