Review: Travis Scott’s Circus Maximus Tour a mind-bending experience

Review - Travis Scott's debut performance in New Zealand was nothing short of a visual and sonic spectacle. With a crowd of 50,000, the sold-out Circus Maximus show at Eden Park was writhing with energy.

Thousands gathered at the gates, flooding through and onto the floor as the clock hit 5pm. The show kicked off with an opening DJ who hyped up the audience. A mix of tracks from HP Boys, Central Cee, Backstreet Boys, and Eminem filled the air, building up anticipation for the headliner.

As concertgoers settled in, the outfits of the evening mirrored the youthful crowd's vibe - a sea of jeans, cargo pants, and graphic tees. Someone below me rallies nearby rows into order, sending off the longest lasting Mexican wave I've ever seen. It looped the stadium five times before being drowned out by 50,000 voices demanding "we want Travis! We want Travis! We want Travis!"

The stadium roared as the lights dimmed and the opening beats set off an audio-visual explosion. Bright strobe lights synced with the heavy bass, pyrotechnics erupted in bursts, and lasers cut through the thick haze of smoke machines. On massive screens placed all around the stage, trippy visuals added to the effect. Scott bobbed away as he ran up and down the protruding stage. It all looked like it was ripped straight from one of the artists surreal music videos.

With this being his debut New Zealand performance, Travis made a point of connecting with the crowd: "This is my first time performing in New Zealand. I just wanna see the best of the best tonight cause this is our first time meeting each other-so make some nooiisseee!" His words were met with a thunderous response, as he picked out two fans from the crowd to join him on stage to get up close and personal for a few songs.

The Kiwi crowd made more than enough noise, singing - or screaming - along to Type Shit. The audiences lyric knowledge was tested during I Know when Travis cut the backing track, leaving them to belt out the entire chorus word for word. With the crowd appearing to be primarily youth - teens and young adults, I spot the occasional pair of parents standing awkwardly as the watch their kids scream along to Highest in the room.

Meanwhile right in front of me is an older Japanese couple who don't look awkward at all. In fact they are dancing harder than most of the teens standing next to them. Both must be huge Travis Scott fans judging by how they are screaming so loud their voices are bound to be gone by the end of the night. Their energy was so contagious, even I was dancing, or jumping along by the end of the night.

"The party never f**ing ends!" Travis shouts, setting off a frenzy on the floor as he began singing Fe!n - not once, not twice, but five times in a row - each rendition somehow more electrifying than the last. The floor writhes, mosh pit circles pulsing with energy. I find myself grateful to be seated in the stands as I doubt I would have been able to keep up with the pace on the floor.

A highlight of the night was when Travis treated the crowd to a surprise performance of a new, unreleased song. Fans went crazy, a sea of phones lifted into the air to capture the untitled number to post to Tiktok later. In line with his currently trending songs, the new track featured slow haunting vocal plays before a sick beat drop accompanied by Scott's signature rap flow. While the artist didn't allude to when we can expect the mastered release, fans are debating whether a new album is on the horizon.

After performing top hits Goosebumps and Antidote Travis addressed the audience once more, "I want to thank you all for being so amazing, I love you so much." He walked among fans in between the floor barricades before disappearing off stage as the final verse of Telekinesis concluded the show.

Outside the stadium, the buzz was mixed. While many praised the night as mind-blowing, others couldn't help but grumble that the set felt too short, running just under an hour and a half instead of the expected two hours or more. Rumours of small fist fights in the stands put a stain on an otherwise unproblematic evening.

A stigma of violent crowds taints the singers tour. Scott's most recent stop in Sydney, Australia last week was followed by reports of broken barricades, trampling, fist fights and five people hospitalized. In 2021 at the Astroworld festival in Houston, 10 people were crushed - the youngest aged just 9. From what I could see, the New Zealand fan base were on their best behaviour, and just enjoyed dancing the night away.

As fans filed out, many swarmed the merch stands, eager to snag pricey mementoes - $85 tees, $115 sweatshirts, and $250 hoodies, which ironically cost more than some concert tickets. Well, for some people at least. Scott's concert was originally slated for 31 October, however a week out from the show it was bumped forward by a day, and remaining ticket prices were slashed by up to 80 percent. A decision which sent fans scrambling to rearrange plans to attend.

Many expressed frustrations on social media, complaining as they were forced to spend hundreds of dollars to change flights and accommodation bookings. Unhappy customers who bought $150 tickets when they were first released realised they could be sitting next to customers who only paid $30 for the same seats. Two of my own friends travelled all the way from the Cook Islands for the show. The concert date change meant they were unable to attend a different concert held on the same night. However they decided not to let the disruptions bother them and made it a night to remember - braving the mosh pit.

Ultimately, Travis Scott's Circus Maximus Tour at Eden Park was a mind-bending experience, where electrifying visuals, fan connection, and the unrelenting energy of his most diehard fans made his New Zealand debut a night to remember.

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