At 5 p.m. Thursday, Travis Scott surprised his 19 million Instagram followers with a vague and intriguing invitation. The Astroworld artist asked fans to meet him at the Movie Exchange on 290 and 34th in Houston for a surprise appearance.
As it turned out, the event was a secret Netflix-hosted pop-up promoting an upcoming documentary titled Look Mom I Can Fly. Though fans were given few details, it's clear that Scott is the subject of the film.
Playing on the video store theme of the evening, the store's shelves were emptied and their contents replaced with hundreds of copies of the same VHS tape. A mysterious looking box featuring a few key details about the documentary, which will apparently focus on the making of Astroworld, Scott's early experiences as a father and the launch of his label, Cactus Jack Records.
Within minutes of the announcement fans began showing up to the video store in nervous anticipation. Despite the baking sun and hour plus wait, hundreds of people wrapped around the building. A Netflix camera crew patrolled the crowd filming reactions. The same crew continued filming throughout the event, likely gathering footage for the forthcoming documentary.
When the doors finally opened, guests were surprised to find the store full of copies of the tape, with Travis Scott waiting at a table to sign them. One by one they made their way through the maze of ropes that guided them through the store, grabbing a tape, stepping into viewing booths and eventually moving on to Scott.
Fans waiting to see Travis Scott before his surprise pop-up on Thursday afternoon.
Photo by Carlos Brandon
While no further details were given about the film, blackout posters covering the building's exterior windows all read the same date; August 28, 2019. It's a safe bet that's the day Netflix will release the documentary.
Travis is likely to stay in town for a few days at least following the pop-up. On Saturday night, the Mo City native is scheduled to perform at the grand opening of The Penthouse Club Houston, a high end night/strip club catering to a high-rolling crowd. Look for coverage on that event from the Houston Press's Marco Torres.
For information, visit tixr.com/groups/penthousehtx/events/travis-scott-penthouse-htx-grand-opening-15102
