Travis Scott’s concert at the Pyramids of Giza has been canceled by the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate, which cited safety concerns and “peculiar rituals” as the primary reasons for nixing the performance.
Per Egypt Today, the Musicians Syndicate — which oversees issuing licenses for music concerts — cited “the safety and protection of the audience” in a statement announcing the cancellation. However, the Syndicate went one step further by citing “peculiar rituals performed by the star during his performance, contradicting our authentic societal values and traditions.”
Safety at Scott’s concerts will rightfully remain a major concern following the deadly crowd crush at his 2021 Astroworld music festival that left 10 people dead and thousands injured. However, the Syndicate appears to be feeding into the Satanic panic following the tragedy in order to claim that the rapper’s concert would go “against the cultural identity of the Egyptian people.”
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It’s also worth noting that the head of the Syndicate, Mostafa Kamel, has laid down new regulations for rap performances since being elected in October of last year. This included the requirement that rappers must be accompanied by a band of at least six musicians in order to get permits. It does not appear this rule factored into the decision to cancel Scott’s concert.
Scott’s performance was scheduled to take place on July 28th and serve as the live debut of his long-anticipated album Utopia. In late June, a grand jury declined to criminally indict the artist for the deaths at Astroworld festival.
