Astroworld Festival takes NRG by storm
Local rapper’s efforts give beacon to city that lost several music events
This is Travis Scott’s world — Astroworld, that is — and we’re just raging in it.
The Houston rapper’s muchhyped Astroworld Festival took over NRG Park on Saturday, bringing with it all the promised “chills and thrills.”
“Thank you God for this weather on festival day!!” Scott tweeted early Saturday afternoon.
Most of the festival details were kept secret until this week. The lineup, featuring headliners Scott, Post Malone and Lil Wayne, dropped Friday afternoon. Set times and festival layout were released Saturday morning.
Astroworld is a beacon, then, for a city that’s lost so many festivals — Free Press Summer Fest, Day for Night, Westheimer Block Party — and deserves its own marquee event.
A giant, gold Scott head and classic Astroworld signs greeted fans at the entrance. The inflatable head first appeared in July at various points around the city, including Cactus Music and Minute Maid Park, to promote Scott’s Astroworld album.
Hundreds of people burst through the gates just after noon Saturday, when they were greeted by photographers and various acrobatic performers. It was just the first bit of Astroworld nostalgia.
The expansive layout included a carousel, Ferris wheel, Mega Drop and various carnival rides that required tickets. Dozens of food trucks lined the perimeter.
Merchandise stands boasted an impressive array of shirts and hoodies that played on the Astroworld theme. There was even a Screwed Up Records and Tapes pop-up shop.
The “Astrodome” was a giant, domed inflatable featuring arcade games, music and places to relax. Fans rapped along with Scott songs, and the line to get in quickly snaked across the pavement.
Scott used the Astroworld hype to introduce new store S.P.A.C.E. on his Instagram. It debuted Saturday at a Rice Village pop-up featuring tour merchandise and shoes. A permanent location is promised next year.
Canadian rapper and model Tommy Genesis was the first act to take the stage Saturday, moving through a series of rhythmic tunes. She was the only woman on the bill. Acts were split between the Thrills and Chills stages.
SoundCloud rappers Smokepurpp and Trippie Redd engaged hordes of fans with blustery, messy sets.
Smokepurpp urged folks near the front to create “the world’s biggest mosh pit” and incited several to jump the VIP barriers before they were stopped by security.
Trippie Redd took the stage 20 minutes after his scheduled start time, which cut his set to just 10 minutes. He wore a Kurt Cobain Tshirt and heavy chains around his neck and restarted the first song after asking someone near the front to stop throwing bottles onstage.
Virgil Abloh of Louis Vuitton and Off-White brands showed off his DJ skills with a series of booming hip-hop tunes. Metro Boomin, a DJ and producer whose album “Not All Heroes Wear Capes” debuted this week atop the Billboard 200 chart, kept the party going with Migos and Scott hits.
The Houston All-Stars earned an expectedly rapturous reception, with the loudest cheers going to Paul Wall and Slim Thug. They were joined onstage by Johnny Dang, “grillz” maker to the stars, who looked like he was having the time of his life.
The lineup also included Bun B, Trae tha Truth, Lil’ Flip, Lil’ Keke and Z-Ro, along with newer names Dice SoHo and Maxo Kream.
It was a parade of H-Town anthems that launched the crowd into the air.
Scott himself couldn’t resist. He appeared side stage, dancing and rapping along to every word during Z-Ro’s closing set, forever an HTown boy.