Travis Scott brings out Kanye West for Circus Maximus album launch show

Last week Scott secured his first number one with his fourth studio album, Utopia, which features the likes of Beyonce, the Weeknd, Bad Bunny and SZA.

In a bid not to disappoint fans after his album launch concert at the pyramids was cancelled, Scott rescheduled the date to take place at Rome’s Circus Maximus – a public park that was once the largest chariot-racing track in the Roman Empire.

Despite beginning the first three songs of his set being taken from Utopia, which led concertgoers to believe he was performing the album in full, Scott played highlights from his career – such as "Highest in the Room" and "Butterfly Effect" – mixed in with the new songs.

After he played the track “Mafia,” which was released right before the 2021 Astroworld tragedy, Scott revealed that he cut the track from Utopia in favour of “I Know,” which he said was one of the last songs he recorded for the project.

During his performance, Scott welcomed Kanye West to the stage to perform “Praise God” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing". Introducing his friend, he said: “There is no Utopia without Kanye West. There is no Travis Scott without Kanye West. There is no Rome without Kanye West. Make some noise for Ye.”

The show marked West’s first live performance since his spate of antisemitic remarks, which began in October 2022. West’s last live performance was a launch event for his album, Donda 2. Several artists joined him at the show, including DaBaby, who faced backlash in 2021 after making homophobic remarks, and Marilyn Manson, who has a series of sexual misconduct lawsuits against him.