Backlash Puts Travis Scott Egyptian Pyramids Concert In Limbo

Plans for a performance by Travis Scott on the site of Egypt’s famed Pyramids of Giza are in trouble after the country’s Musician’s Syndicate pushed back against the rapper’s plans because the July 28 concert “contradict[s] the identity of the Egyptian culture,” according to Agence France-Presse. The event, promoted by Live Nation, is planned as part of the unveiling of his new album, Utopia, but triggered an angry reaction from some in Egypt, leading to the syndicate’s reported cancelling of the permit for the performance.

Live Nation has said that the event will go on in a statement issued this week, telling reporters “There have been no changes to Travis Scott’s show in Egypt; any reports to the contrary are false. We can’t wait to celebrate ‘Utopia’ with you in Egypt!”

UTOPIA LIVE AT THE PYRAMIDS
CANT WAITTTT TO SEE YA
TICKETS https://t.co/1X8uAoaRh6 pic.twitter.com/jstKuL3pFr

— TRAVIS SCOTT (@trvisXX) July 9, 2023

But in a post shared to social media signed by Scott, the rapper says that unless the promoter and its advance team are allowed to begin their site access and setup process by Thursday afternoon, there would be no choice but to cancel the event.

Scott, who was recently cleared of the possibility of criminal charges stemming from the death of 10 concertgoers at the Astroworld Festival two years ago by a Texas Grand Jury, has been returning to performances in recent months, including more high profile gigs. The boycott effort for his plans in the North African nation reportedly stemmed from the belief by some that Scott is involved with “anti-Egyptian Afocentrism agendas,” and “satanic rituals.”

“This concert must be cancelled,” said lawyer Amr Abdel-Samie on Egyptian television and newspapers after officially requesting different authorities to stand against hosting an artist he described as a “masonic, satanic, and devil worshipper who has a dark history.”

Scott directly pushed back against those thoughts in the letter posted Thursday.

Travis Scott’s show at the Giza Pyramids is in limbo as of right now…

Permits have been paused for the show and if Live Nation is not permitted to access the site by 5pm Cairo time today, they will be unable to make the targeted show date. pic.twitter.com/Eo7wic8muU

— OnThinIce (@OnThinlce) July 20, 2023

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” the letter reads. “My only intent with live performances is to unite people around the world over a shared bond in music.”

“Please know that I have performed hundreds of concerts before [Astroworld] and many concerts since,” he continued, addressing concerns about safety for those attending his shows. “Live Nation and myself are hyper-vigilant when it comes to concert security. As you may hvae seen recently a grand jury declined to pursue any criminal charges related to the festival. I assure you that the concert at Giza has been planned meticulously and will have state of the art fan security in place.”

Scott is scheduled to perform as the Saturday headliner at Rolling Loud Miami this weekend in Florida.

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