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What’s happening with Travis Scott and his pyramid show?

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London, UK
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Travis Scott’s ‘Utopia’ album launch party in Egypt was cancelled, then it wasn’t. Now it is again. Given his recent concert controversies, should he even be attempting such a performance in a country that heavily censors artists and is anti-LGBTQ?

After many unclear updates, it is now confirmed that Travis Scott’s ‘Utopia’ launch party in Egypt will not be happening.

Several conflicting statements over the last few weeks have confused fans and concertgoers. Live Nation, the organisers behind the show, had repeatedly assured the public that it would be going ahead this week. Other reports claimed that the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate had shut the gig down, which Live Nation Middle East originally denied two weeks ago.

On Wednesday, Live Nation finally tweeted to verify the performance was cancelled.

The reasons given have been ambiguous. Rumours indicated that the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate was not happy with the plans to perform in front of Giza’s pyramids, and did not approve of ‘various elements’ of the show.

For context, the Musicians Syndicate has powers to authorise, shut down, or fine any artist or performance that it deems inappropriate for Egyptian audiences. This can extend beyond Egyptian soil. Local artist Wegz, for example, was fined 50,000 LE by the Musicians Syndicate for performing at the World Cup.

Artists within Egypt say that these powers are used to stifle and supress free speech within music. Mahraganat, a type of festival music that fuses traditional Egyptian instrumentation with noughties electronica, is particularly scrutinised. In 2022, permits for Mahraganat shows were halted entirely.

Travis said that this week’s cancellation was due to ‘complex production issues’. He has also promised fans the show will go ahead at some point in the future.

The bigger question is whether it’s appropriate for Travis to be performing at such a huge scale at all following the Astroworld Festival tragedy of 2021.

During the first night of the event, 10 people were killed during a crowd crush, leading to early cancellation of the following evening’s show and a legal investigation that is still underway. A jury recently acquitted Travis of any criminal charges but a civil litigation is ongoing.

Given all of that, should Travis be putting on such a huge show in Egypt, especially given that the Musicians Syndicate isn’t too fond of him? Live Nation was in charge of Astroworld 2021 as well as the upcoming Egypt show.

Most rap and music fans are excited for Travis’ next project ‘Utopia’, which is out tomorrow. While most listeners can appreciate a new album, it’s not controversial to suggest that it may be a little too soon for Travis to jump back into huge, headline arena shows. He remains a liability for brands, insurance companies, security firms, and those in charge of safety.

He may not be solely responsible, but many questions remain unanswered about 2021’s tragedy.

Editor In Chief London, UK

I’m Charlie (He/Him), the Editor In Chief at Thred. I studied English at the University of Birmingham and as a music and gaming enthusiast, I’m a nerd for pop culture. You can find me curating playlists, designing article headline images, and sipping cider on a Thursday. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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