Travis Scott w/ Sheck Wes
Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA
01.29.19

A lot of great things happened for music and hip-hop last year, one of the most notable being the drop of Travis Scott’s ASTROWORLD. An hour-long album packed with feature after feature—hype track “SICKOMODE” with Drake and Swae Lee, laid back “WAKE UP” with The Weeknd, reflective “Coffee Bean,” and many more came together for a wild ride of an album.

So when the announcement of the ASTROWORLD: WISH YOU WERE HERE tour came out, Seattle was pretty sad to be left out. A killer lineup featuring Sheck Wes opening for Scott, the arena tour sparked some excitement in the music community. Then suddenly the second leg of the tour came to life with just over a month before his stop at the Tacoma Dome.

The carnival theme of ASTROWORLD was instantly evident before fans even made it into the dome: stilt walkers greeted people, the giant gold head from the album art was blown up ominously outside, and, most notably, there were literally two rollercoasters used in his performance.

Our night in Tacoma, if you made it through the crushing traffic, began with Sheck Wes. This man took 2018 by storm with MUDBOY, his album featuring “Mo Bamba.” The track was named Rolling Stone’s 14th best song of the year, and undeniably sparks adrenaline through a crowd anytime it plays. Everyone seems to know the words, and Wes’ adlibs go unparalleled. When he’s not walking in Louis Vuitton fashion shows, Sheck Wes puts on a pretty killer live set where you could hear fans shouting “live Sheck Wes, die Sheck Wes” through the concrete walls of the venue.

I’ll admit that when ASTROWORLD came out in August, I listened to it through a few times and was disappointed pretty quickly. After hearing “Goosebumps” for years, I was looking forward to a Travis Scott album full of bangers and exciting tracks but unfortunately didn’t get a lot of that out of the album. With a fresh perspective, however, I revisited the album in anticipation of the show and saw it in a new light: sure, there are a few hype tracks on there (I mean “SICKOMODE” plays on hip-hop radio every 15 minutes), but Scott really shines in the slower moments. “STOP TRYING TO BE GOD,” his collab track with James Blake, puts a deeper spin on the album with a more floaty, hollow sound. And “CAN’T SAY” walks the line between laid back and upbeat perfectly.

Opening his set with “STARGAZING” from his B-stage in the middle of the venue, the crowd swarmed around to watch their peers get strapped into the rollercoaster ring behind the performer. Older fans raged along to “Mamacita” and quickly smushed back to the front as Scott switched back to his main stage.
The set was a perfect mix: the best of ASTROWORLD sprinkled in with older tracks and some of his most notable features. “Drugs You Should Try it” evoked tears as phone lights were held high, and “Love Galore” reminded the crowd of the beautiful mix between Scott and SZA. And the night topped off obviously with “SICKOMODE” as the crowd went wild for a perfect ending.

A crazy night of carnival festivities and catchy hip-hop we’ve heard on the radio for months, Travis Scott’s ASTROWORLD tour was everything it was hyped up to be and delivered a perfect night of those newer tracks, but also some of the great old stuff that’s gotten lost in the past.

Review and photos by Lulu Dawson

Travis Scott

Sheck Wes