With people around the world sheltering in place, musicians have had to get creative to still connect with audiences they would’ve performed for at concerts, raves, or festivals. Some are taking things into their own hands. Erykah Badu recently launched her own livestreaming platform where she’s been streaming extended jam sessions with her band and others, such as Arca, have been digging into already existing platforms like Twitch.
Last night, though, Travis Scott took the concept of virtual concerts into a totally new realm: the artist hosted a virtual concert and debuted “The Scotts,” a new song that he made with Kid Cudi in the online game Fortnite. While “Sicko Mode” played over gamers’ headsets, eventually a digitized, larger-than-life rendering of Scott exploded onto the screen. The video game version of Scott appeared shirtless and he wore a pair of post-apocalyptic combat boots with a pair of cargo pants, accessorized with chains dangling around his neck.
It’s the first of a series of events that Scott is doing within the Fortnite universe, but it’s already got a strong following: there were 12.3 million players that partook in the virtual experience. There’s three more encore concerts tomorrow scheduled for 12 AM EDT, 11 AM EDT, and 6 PM EDT. It’s innovative in the sense that it’s creating an immersive, concert-like experience within an ever-evolving game space, but Scott’s wardrobe is surprisingly conventional in it. In Fortnite, you can dress your character in outlandish gear that approximates everything from a Catwoman suit to a buccaneer, but Scott didn’t opt for fairy wings or a utility vest. He could have worn absolutely anything to his virtual concert, but Scott kept his wardrobe true-to-life.
