Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti has pulled out of two separate concerts overseas: Wireless Festival Middle East on 23 November, and Rolling Loud Thailand on 24 November. For the past year, Carti has been teasing singles for his upcoming record I Am Music, the follow up to his 2020 effort Whole Lotta Red. The reasoning for his cancellation is unclear, but both of the festivals have released their own statements.
Wireless Festival Middle East was going to proudly headline Carti alongside Opium artists Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and Homixide Gang. However, on the day of his performance, Wireless Fest Middle East released a statement announcing Playboi Carti's cancellation, describing it as "unfortunate" and "last-minute," with some sources even saying Carti canceled "just hours before he was scheduled to perform." They then ensure that the festival will still have his Opium labelmates, assuring fans that they will still be in good company. But the people behind Wireless Festival Middle East still sought to make amends with frustrated concertgoers, adding a discount on their ticket refunds: "As a gesture of goodwill, we will be refunding you 30% of your ticket price."
Playboi Carti was scheduled to perform in Rolling Loud Thailand the day after his appearance at Wireless, headlining and ending their sunday show after performances from Gunna, Ken Carson, and Ski Mask the Slump God. However, the festival announced via Instagram that Carti is unable to perform "due to travel issues," possibly explaining his recent sudden cancellations. They do bring some great news, saying that Carti will be replaced by his stylistic contemporary Yeat for "his first ever Rolling Loud performance." Overseas fans were distraught, directing their ire at both the artist and the festival. Some Vamps are frustrated to be missing out on his performance, while others are worried that Carti will continue to delay his tours and inevitably push back the release of I Am Music.
These two cancellations show a harmful pattern with Carti's rap-rockstar allure: festivals are forced to do damage control – issuing refunds and scheduling headliners last minute – while Carti fades back into the shadows, going silent on social media, per his vampiric persona.
Sadly rescheduling and outright canceling events is commonplace with Playboi Carti. His Antagonist tour for North America and Europe was constantly delayed and rescheduled throughout 2023, until it was indefinitely postponed in early 2024. Just a few days before the start of his European leg of Antagonist, the entire tour was canceled with no new dates. The Antagonist tour seemingly is just another entry into Carti's catalog of forgotten and unreleased projects. Antagonist's tour page is a still image with no dates.
Knowing Playboi Carti, he will eventually deliver. Fans remember the tumultuous rollout for Whole Lotta Red, which (despite all its flaws) became a defining part of the modern rap scene. And despite these two instances overseas, Carti does routinely perform on time in the states. His recent performances at Complexcon and Camp Flog Gnaw have been received favorably by his fans, even bringing out The Weeknd for a surprise performance at Flog Gnaw. Carti is set to headline Rolling Loud Miami on 15 December for their 10-year anniversary, concluding on the third and final day. Hopefully he finds his footing for the release of his new record.
The Needle Drop may earn an affiliate commission via purchases on ticket links through this article.
What do you think?
Show comments / Leave a comment