Travis Scott’s Utopia Show in Dallas Was Straight-Up Unbelievable

It would be hard for any other performer to stand out in a concert year dominated by Beyoncé, Taylor and Drake, whose  phenomenal tours led to sold-out movie theaters and caused shops to run out of silver. But without any frilly additions like backup dancers, co-headliners, large bands or wardrobe changes, Travis Scott made the ground shake with the first of his two-night Utopia – Circus Maximus tour dates at a sold-out American Airlines Center on Tuesday evening.

A sea of ragers celebrated Scott's return to the stage with deafening screams and floor-shaking stomps among a bevy of props and pyrotechnics. The two-night Dallas event marks Travis Scott's first concert in Texas since the 2021 Astroworld tragedy in Houston that claimed the lives of 10 audience members, an event that forever sullied his multi-platinum career.

Following the initial announcement of the tour in August, Dallas was one of 11 cities to welcome the rapper back to arenas.

Before Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, the artist who calls himself “LA Flame” released a 75-minute film, titled Circus Maximus. Screened at a Dallas AMC Theater in July, it has since accumulated over 9.2 million views.

Scott's fifth studio album, Utopia, featuring Drake, Beyoncé and The Weeknd, drives the Utopia-Circus Maximus tour. After its release in July, the album remained at the top of the Billboard charts for weeks thanks to hits including "Meltdown," "Delresto (Echoes)" and "Modern Jam," featuring Teezo Touchdown, who is the tour’s opening act.

Although Teezo Touchdown has collaborated with household names Drake, Janelle Monae and Tyler, the Creator, he remains unknown to most music fans — even if GQ calls him “Pop's Next Great Weirdo” and Rolling Stone, “The Future of Rap-Rock.” Last week, Drake said in an interview that Teezo Touchdown, who released his debut album last month, is making the “best music ever.”

At 8:19 p.m., Teezo told the story of his rise from Beaumont, Texas, to performing in front of a sold-out AAC in an opening set that reminded concertgoers exactly where they know him from — such as Drake’s “7969 Santa,” which Teezo closed out with a piano-led orchestration; Don Toliver’s “Luckily I’m Having” (which, Teezo shared, was recorded in Dallas after their first meeting); and “Runitup” by Tyler, The Creator, who took Teezo Touchdown on his first tour. During his entrance, Teezo performed "Impossible," "Too Easy" and "Sweet," accompanied by chants of “Who/Where/When?,” earning some assurance that he'd won over the crowd as his set concluded.

“It’s my best show so far, thank you, Dallas,” Teezo Touchdown said.

Fans couldn’t help but marvel at the colossal, dystopia-themed stage in the middle of the ACC, which resembled the set piece from Nickelodeon’s Legend of the Hidden Temple. Fans could explore the inside of the set as they awaited the return of Travis Scott. The anxious center erupted as sound check preparations by Scott’s DJ, Chase B, were underway during the intermission. At 9:32 p.m., the center went pitch black, a brief intro from Circus Maximus played on the titanic screens above the crowd and Travis Scott emerged from the top of the ruins performing his latest album’s intro track, “Hyaena.”

The rapper kept up the high-energy performance that is synonymous with his artistry, despite expectations that he'd tone down his raging persona. He ran through the latest album's tracklist as Chase B charged him up with hyper ad-libs, looking like a football player with shoulder pads over his all-black outfit. It was all synced-up, from the screens to the set pyrotechnics to the auto-tuned screams coming from the mic. The effects pulsed through the body of every audience member.

“We in Dallas-fuckin'-Texas, baby,” Scott yelled, following the performance of “Modern Jam.”

While the crowd was integrated into the swirling graphics appearing on the big screens, an AI voice commanded Scott to bring a fan on stage.

A fan levitated onto a giant head onstage as Scott performed “SDP Interlude,” “AYE!” and “Sirens.” By this time, the number of people bouncing up and down resembled the movement of an earthquake. Scott felt the shift and asked if he could turn things up to yet another level. “Dallas, Texas, how are we feeling out there this evening?” he asked. “I think I seen the roof move off this bitch.”

The biggest moment of the night came when Scott took it back to where it started, the rodeo, with his classic song “Mamacita.”

Travis Scott is an artist whose recorded output works conjointly with his live performance, perfectly blending his hypnotizing energy. The pandemonium at his Dallas concert caused a physical sensation of unsteadiness — one could just sense the floor's imminent collapse under the stomps and mosh pits erupting throughout the stadium seats. LA Flame halted the show momentarily to help a young woman who was being escorted by security, for an unknown reason.

“Hey, let her go, don’t kick her out,” he ordered security. “Everything is cool … I love you too, baby.”

Scott continues to evolve as an entertainer before our eyes and, surprisingly, his stage antics continue to escalate — in this case with lasers flashing from the stage's giant heads, fireworks falling from the sky and Scott himself hovering high above the crowd on a lifted platform.

His crowd-favorite songs “Antidote,” “Goosebumps” and “Sicko Mode” produced the loudest sing-along, drowning out Scott’s raging vocals.

After an hour into his headlining set, Scott had performed most of his hits, and most of his signature ad-libs had been chanted. He exchanged unwavering demonstrations of devotion with his fans.

Scott would also depart with style, with an integrated exit that allowed fans to watch him return to his dressing room from the stage, honoring his late friend Pop Smoke with the performance of their collaboration, “Gatti.”