Playboi Carti shows are known to get a little rowdy. As a member of the so-called “SoundCloud Rap” movement of the past decade, the Atlanta rapper has blended certain punk sensibilities with his nihilistic, aggressive performance style, resulting in a general vibe of recklessness and mosh-pit antics at his live shows. However, in the wake of a certain recent festival tragedy, venues and promoters have proven much less forgiving of this sort of energy — as recently demonstrated by a recent festival, San Bernardino’s Smoker’s Club Fest.
According to the New York Post, Playboi Carti’s evening set was cut short when members of the crowd tried to jump the barricades to the VIP section just two songs in. The crowd also pushed forward, causing a potentially dangerous scene in the front of the audience much like the infamous incident at Astroworld Festival last year. However, unlike that situation, the festival’s organizers were able to get control of the chaos, cutting Carti’s mic and urging the audience to back up or the show wouldn’t continue.
Playboi Carti fans trying to rush the stage at Smoker’s Club Fest pic.twitter.com/QoUtis4MMh
— Aye Sincere (@Aye_Sincere) May 1, 2022
A number of fans expressed their disappointment in the situation, but I’ve seen toddlers pitch fits over being stopped from touching hot stoves, so kudos to the fest’s organizers for getting a handle on things before they could escalate to injuries or worse. Check out more videos and fan responses below.
The Smokers Club Festival shut down the main stage killing Playboi Carti, A$AP Rocky & Kid Cudi sets because of a “safety issue”. Everyone was rioting, obviously. What a joke. pic.twitter.com/NIvgCYUnSV
— ash (@burpgrl666) May 1, 2022
@playboicarti at Smoker’s Club Fest pic.twitter.com/BSJGjPSu2B
— ᴮᵉⁿ (@BenMescudi) May 1, 2022
At the Smoker’s Club festival, Playboi Carti’s set was cut short because a guard rail collapsed. These kids go crazy for Carti
— Charlie Conway’s Triple Deke (@DrewMixon) May 1, 2022
Smoker’s club festival was trash but the highlight of my night was seeing Playboi Carti shut shit down with 2 songs before being asked to stop because of safety issues
— Drink Green Smoothies (@EastCoastEddieX) May 1, 2022
Smokers club fest was a fucking trip seeing some of those artists live, but it was managed SOO POORLY the set times were ass, Carti’s set got cut completely, and Rocky’s was cut in half Parking wasn’t managed at all and I was stuck in the parking lot alone for 3 hours pic.twitter.com/ODS1vap36z
— ethan (@fandomhuub) May 1, 2022