Travis Scott’s Delhi Stop Delivered a Wild, One-Hour Rush

This was the third time I’ve watched Travis Scott perform live. The first was at Wireless Festival in London, the second during his Circus Maximus stop in Sydney, and the third — this past weekend — in New Delhi. It’s been a ride. Scott is an artist I’ve followed since ninth grade, and I’ve lived through every era: from Rodeo and Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight to Astroworld and Utopia. Each show has felt like a cinematic experience, but seeing him in India was something else entirely.

Fourteen-year-old me would’ve never imagined watching Scott perform on Indian soil. For hip-hop fans here, this was “the” moment. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium wasn’t completely full, but it was alive and breathing. The stands buzzed with the kind of anticipation that only comes from fans who’ve been waiting years for this. When the screen lit up and the first rumble of “HYAENA” hit, the collective rush in the air was almost unreal.

Of course, getting to that moment wasn’t exactly smooth. The weeks leading up to the show played out like their own mini-drama — resellers snapped up tickets early on, only to offload them below face value closer to the date, and confusion hit its peak when BookMyShow Live dropped a final batch of tickets at the last minute (a move that’s hardly unusual in the global concert scene). Add the late announcement of the Mumbai leg (to be held on Nov. 19), and fans didn’t know whether to celebrate or stress-scroll. Contrary to online claims suggesting Scott sold 200,000 tickets across two shows — including one made by DJ Akademiks — BookMyShow Live confirmed to Rolling Stone India that the actual number was a little over 100,000 tickets across both the New Delhi shows.

But when the lights finally dropped and Scott stormed the Delhi stage, all that noise disappeared. For one brief yet potent hour, the night belonged entirely to him. The problem was, it went by too fast. After years of waiting for this, an hour felt like a blink. He powered through the setlist with his trademark precision, but just as the energy hit its peak, the lights went out. No encore, no soft landing — just a sharp cut that left everyone in disbelief. Not because the show wasn’t incredible — it was — but because it ended before anyone was ready to leave. While his shows typically run for an average hour and a half, this one felt like it ended before the audience had a chance to process it.

That said, credit where it’s due: BookMyShow Live pulled off an incredible logistical feat. For a venue not originally designed to host live shows at this scale, they transformed JLN Stadium into a great concert space. Entry and exit were seamless, security was efficient, and there was clear signage and staff guiding people to their stands. This was a huge step up from the confusion of past large-scale shows like Coldplay’s, where many couldn’t even locate their seats. The pre-top-up system for food and drinks worked perfectly; no long queues, no last-minute validation chaos. Washrooms were accessible, medical booths were stationed across the venue, and for once, an Indian concert didn’t feel like organized chaos — it just felt organized. It’s easy to take these things for granted, but in the Indian live entertainment space, this level of operational precision is rare.

The only real letdown for me? The sound mix. The standing area took the full brunt of the bass and energy, but for those seated in the stands, the audio lost some of its depth. Scott’s voice and the production occasionally felt distant, especially during crowd-heavy moments. It didn’t ruin the experience, but it did remind you that Delhi’s venues still have a long way to go before matching the acoustics of purpose-built arenas.

One of the biggest surprises of the night came when NAV walked out on stage mid-set to perform “Biebs in the Trap” with Scott. The crowd erupted at this crossover moment that no one saw coming. Flames shot up from the stage, and strobes flickered in sync with the beat — a full-blown sensory overload that made the stadium feel like it was shaking. Afterwards, in true Travis fashion, he roared into the mic, “There are no VIPs at a Travis Scott show!” — the same line he shouts at concerts worldwide, breaking down every hierarchy in the room.

From the stands, I couldn’t really see any big mosh pits, but the post-concert videos said otherwise. The floor was pure madness — circles opening up, people going off, and the kind of energy you could only feel if you were enveloped in it.

When Scott hit his “you’ve been selected” skit — that moment where a few lucky fans get called onstage to rage with him — I braced myself for pandemonium. Instead, what we got looked more like a school talent show gone wrong. The chosen ones climbed up, froze, and shuffled around like they were at a cousin’s sangeet with no bar access. One guy forgot the lyrics, another barely moved, and by the time Travis snatched the mic back, it felt like divine intervention. Honestly, good for him. None of us in the pit were mad — we’ve been training for this moment our whole lives. We know the drops, the ad-libs, the chaos cues. If it had been me up there, I’d have lost my mind — probably started doing push-ups, screaming every line, maybe levitating out of pure serotonin. That stage isn’t for the shy. It’s for the unhinged.

But even with that hiccup, the show roared on. “SICKO MODE” detonated like an earthquake, “My Eyes” was special, “FE!N” hit harder than expected, and “Goosebumps” turned the floor into one giant surge of limbs and smoke. Travis commands a crowd like few others — he’s a conductor of chaos, and when he wants to, he can turn an entire stadium into his instrument.

Watching him in London and Sydney had already set my expectations sky-high. But watching him in Delhi — surrounded by people who grew up like I did, sneaking his songs through school headphones — was personal. This concert wasn’t just about music for any of us; it was about possibility. It was proof that a show of this magnitude could happen here, that Indian fans could match the energy of any global crowd, and that organizers could execute something on par with international standards.

Yes, the sound could’ve been better. Yes, I wish he’d performed longer. But even with those flaws, this night was special. It wasn’t perfect, but it was proof of growth — of how far both India’s live scene and its fans have come. For a country still finding its way in the global music circuit, this was a major step — a moment that reminded everyone watching that hip-hop isn’t imported culture anymore. It’s here, it’s loud, and it’s ready to rage.