Travis Scott mania forces third India show as BookMyShow doubles down on live gigs

Travis Scott's India tour

With arenas packed and his track FE!N still fueling fan frenzy, Travis Scott has just cranked up the heat on India’s live music scene, adding a third show to his much-hyped India tour.

After witnessing an overwhelming response to the two scheduled shows in Delhi, tour host BookMyShow Live is bringing the rap icon to Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Race Course for an encore performance.

Tickets for the Mumbai show go live on July 19 at 12 PM, exclusively on BookMyShow.

Extended tour

The decision to add another show was fairly complex, Naman Pugalia, Chief Business Officer – Live Events at BookMyShow, told Moneycontrol.

"There has been an exceptional demand for Travis Scott. On 5th April, we announced the Delhi show. We launched ticketing then and in minutes two shows in Delhi were sold out. He (Scott) took note of this. I think the demand was through the roof. It was heartening to see just how many fans in India exist for Travis."

Scott wanted to honour the overwhelming fan demand in India, said Pugalia.

“This is truly a case study in how artists go the extra mile for their fans. After wrapping up his scheduled tour, which runs from October 11 in Johannesburg to November 15 in Abu Dhabi, he’s making a rare return, specifically for India,” Pugalia explained.

To match the scale of the event, his team is transforming the Mahalaxmi Race Course into a stadium-like venue.

"We are constructing a semi-permanent structure which can replicate a stadium setup. This will take a good amount of time. We are making substantial investments in new infrastructure to be able to host this show. From staging to sound, lights, seating, mojo barricading, and decking across all of the area, we will be making significant investments. We are working very closely with the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) as well as with the RWITC (Royal Western India Turf Club).

While they are determining the audience capacity for Scott's show, Mahalaxmi Race Course in the past has hosted shows with 25,000 people.

"For the Travis Scott show, we are in the process of determining the exact numbers that we will be able to do. This number could land anywhere between 25,000 and 50,000, depending on what is pragmatic given that this is the heart of the city."

The two shows in Delhi will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. "We are hoping to accommodate anywhere between 50 to 60,000 people."

Pugalia highlighted how the strong reception for his two shows in India overwhelmed Scott.

"The reception for his music has been robust over the years. If you think about the craze for his song FE!N, it's no longer just a track. It's an anthem for so many people. I think Travis has observed this fandom over the years, and in recognition of that fandom, he's made this exception, where after closing a tour, he is adding a new run," Pugalia said.

The singer is also aware that the traction his shows saw in Delhi was historic.

"Selling out two stadiums in a matter of minutes is something that he took note of very keenly. And given all of these leading markers, whether it's the passion that fans have in India, the burgeoning numbers of listeners here, the pace at which our (live entertainment) market is growing, I think Travis and his team, they are all aware of how rapidly our (India) market has expanded over the last few years. They are well aware of the kind of demand that exists for this artist."

Stage is set

The organised live events segment grew 15 percent in 2024 to Rs 10,100 crore from Rs 8,800 crore a year ago on the back of significant growth in ticketed events, government spending, B2B (business to business) events and weddings, noted the FICCI-EY 2025 media and entertainment report.

India’s live music scene hit a new high in 2024, clocking an estimated 70 to 80 large-scale concert days, each drawing audiences of 10,000 or more.

At the center of this boom is BookMyShow Live, which listed nearly 32,500 events across 319 cities last year, making it one of the most active platforms in the live entertainment space.

“In the last few months alone, we’ve hosted the spectacular Maroon 5 concert in Mumbai, Cigarettes After Sex in January, and Coldplay shows — including two of the biggest stadium shows ever with 114,000 people each,” said Pugalia.

One of the platform’s crown jewels, Lollapalooza India, was a sold-out smash with Green Day and Shawn Mendes headlining. The company also wrapped up massive regional shows like Aditya Gadhvi across Gujarat and Mumbai, and ended the season with a 40,000-strong crowd for Guns N’ Roses.

Earlier this year, Ed Sheeran's six-city India tour — a rare feat for an international artist — pushed deep into non-metro markets. In Ahmedabad, for example, 80% of concertgoers came from outside the city, signalling a major shift in audience geography.

Looking ahead, BookMyShow Live is set to roll out a packed calendar, including a major tour with Zakir Khan, Bandland 3.0, and half a dozen other big-ticket events.

“We expect to surpass last year’s numbers, driven by surging demand from beyond the metros,” Pugalia said, adding that Indian audiences are now spending on live shows at par with global markets.

That rising appetite is catching the eye of global artists, he noted, and India is quickly cementing its place on the world tour map.