This is some real apex pre-gaming. The most cost effective, convenient, and — judging from the actions of the commuting 20-something year old Long Islanders traveling to Brooklyn — the most lit way to the Barclays Center is indeed the Long Island railroad.

It’s 7:22 PM, and a couple of dozen Travis Scott fans get on the LIRR, drinks in tow. It's more than 30 minutes before “AstroWorld” opening act Sheck Wes is scheduled to take the stage, but you can already (literally) hear the buzz, as they excitedly talk loud and proud about young La Flame.

As some guzzled beers, one young lady had a liter of Coca Cola in one hand and a bottle of liquor covered by a brown paper bag in the other. She alternated drinking both just seconds apart. One guy yelled “Astro” while the crowd answered back “World!!!” A few minutes later it seemed like just about everyone in the train car was shouting “f--k the club up!!”

They were feeling it. Because they’ve seen it. We’ve all seen it. Scott has steadfastly worked his way to top four status, along with the current rap crown-holders Drake, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole.

Yes, his girlfriend and the mother of his child is one of the world’s most famous billionaires, and a member of the most headlining-grabbing family in the world, the Kardashians. But Travis built himself up by himself. By endorsing and designing sneakers for the Jordan Brand, curating music for the commercials for the immensely popular 2K video games with LeBron James, and producing for one of the greatest producers of all time, Kanye West, Scott has done the work and reaped the benefits. Nothing has paid off more than the reputation the Houston native has built with his “raging” stage shows. He’s arguably the best live performer of any genre right now.

Scott has become a fixture on the festival circuit the last half decade. From Coachella, to Rolling Loud, to Made In America, he has amassed a following that not only want to buy tickets to his show, but will stand in line for an hour at these shows just to buy hundreds of dollars of merch to collect and wear.

2018’s first leg of the “Astroworld” World tour was such a cash cow, that more dates were added for 2019 and Travis has been selling out shows of stage bonanza in every city.

From the train-ride to the rollercoaster ride, welcome to Travis’ funfair. The Astroworld moniker comes from a now torn-down amusement park that was that Scott frequented in Houston, and the tour is aimed to feel like a day at the park. To whit, the Barclay’s show featured the star rapping upside down while riding on a Ferris wheel, standing on roller coaster car that hung above the crowd crawling on a track while a fan strapped into the accompanying seat damn near giggled to death with glee.

Two stages on each side of the Barclays faced each other with a wide enough gap to fit a few thousand people on the floor in a giant mosh pit. The main stage had a screen which displayed everything from Scott being chased by some new world order, to computer animated kids having a ball throwing up green slime. The second stage had the aforementioned Ferris wheel. That’s where Travis would start the show.

“Star Gazing” fired up the rocket ship. Immediately the ragers were leaping up and down to the beat.

Scott definitely has the most energetic fans in all of hip-hop. Chairs can’t hold them. Nobody sat down.

“Choose a side,” Scott said as he gazed down on the fans from the stage telling them to open up the mosh pit. “Pick a side. Please choose wisely. Please keeps your hands and feet inside the ride at all times.”

Midway through the show, the moment arrived that that Long Island crew on the LIRR has practicing for.

“F--k the club up bi--h,” Scott and his following started chanting on “No Bystanders.” The audience looked they were engaged in a full-on Royal Rumble, but no. No violence, no animosity, and most importantly, none of that pretty or prissy stuff. This was intense, explosive energy.

Later, Scott’s DJ said he wanted to turn the concert into a house party and dropped “ZeZe” by Kodak Black.

“Ice water, turned Atlantic./ Nightcrawlin' in a Phantom,” Travis rapped.
Told them, ‘hold it, don't you panic’./Took an island, (Yeah) flood the mansion./Dropped the roof, more expansion.”

During “Beibs in the Trap” the front of the roller coaster track that hung above, slowly descended to the main stage. Travis and a fan got on the car and road it.

Travis kept it to the ground during “Antidote” and brought two more fans up on stage to ride the roller coaster when “Goosebumps” came on. 

Before the last call on the amusement rides, Travis imparted some sage words of advice.

“No matter what may come your way, always go ‘Sicko Mode on a muthafu--a.”

When the beat came on, the entire Barclays began singing Travis’ first number one hit.

“Sun is down, freezin' cold,” they began singing for Drake who not present. “That's how we already know winter's here./ My dawg would prolly do it for a Louis belt./
That's just all he know, he don't know nothin' else./I tried to show 'em, yeah...”

La Flame later came in on his part.

“Woo, made this here with all the ice on in the booth,” he rapped. “At the gate outside, when they pull up, they get me loose. /Yeah, Jump Out boys, that's Nike boys, hoppin' out coupes. / This shit way too big, when we pull up give me the loot. /Was off the Remy, had a Papoose.”