Travis Scott performed at a Coachella afterparty this weekend. The rapper was dropped from headlining after the Astroworld tragedy.
According to a report from TMZ, the rapper arrived at the venue in La Quinta to play five songs during a DJ set. Travis Scott was set to headline Coachella 2020, which was cancelled due to the pandemic. Following what happened at Astroworld, his status as a headliner for the festival was called into question. The Coachella 2022 lineup was announced as Kanye West, Billie Eilish, and Harry Styles as headliners.
Kanye West made a kerfuffle online after Billie Eilish stopped one of her concerts for a distressed fan. During the concert, she made a comment about waiting for people to be okay before she continues her show. Kanye West interpreted that comment as a slight against his friend Travis Scott and demanded Billie Eilish apologize in some kind of medieval gauntlet slap that took place on Twitter.
Eilish didn’t take the bait and responded she was just helping a fan. But two weeks before the first Coachella festival weekend, Kanye dropped out. He suggested in February that would be his course of action if Eilish did not apologize to Scott. Coachella updated the lineup to include The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia as headliners.
Travis Scott gave his first public performance after the Astroworld tragedy at a private pre-Oscars party.
Several celebrities were on hand at the DJ set, where Scott performed “Sicko Mode” for the guests. In December 2021, Travis Scott sat down for an interview with rapper Charlamagne tha God to discuss the festival. He claimed he was unaware that people were dying during his performance.
Ultimately ten people lost their lives due to the crowd crush event at Astroworld 2021. Travis Scott and Live Nation are facing hundreds of lawsuits in the wake of these deaths. Congress is even responding to the event, with the House Oversight and Reform Committee investigating Live Nation over the festival’s operations. Travis Scott has also faced backlash from activists over his planned Project HEAL, which is structured as a community outreach initiative.