Playboi Carti’s upcoming antagonist tour has been the talk of the hip hop world in recent weeks. The highly anticipated tour was originally slated to kick off this fall, but rumors have been swirling that Carti may have to postpone or reschedule some dates. As a diehard Carti fan, I’ve been eagerly awaiting news on whether the tour is still happening as planned. In this article, I’ll break down what we know so far about the status of the antagonist tour and try to get to the bottom of the rescheduling rumors.
What is the antagonist tour?
The antagonist tour is a North American tour announced earlier this year by popular rapper Playboi Carti to support his latest mixtape, ‘Whole Lotta Red’. The tour was originally scheduled to start on October 17, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee and run through December 22, 2022 with over 30 stops in major cities across the United States and Canada.
Some key details about the highly anticipated tour:
- Name derived from Carti’s ‘punk’ persona and rebellious attitude
- Presented by Live Nation and Cactus Jack
- Tour spans over 30 dates from October to December 2022
- Tickets went on sale in April 2022 and mostly sold out instantly
- Major tour stops include New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Vancouver
The tour has been hugely hyped up among fans ever since it was announced earlier this year. However, some recent developments have led to speculation about whether Carti will have to postpone or reschedule some dates.
Why are there rumors of it being rescheduled?
In the past few weeks, multiple rumors have surfaced online suggesting that Playboi Carti may have to push back the antagonist tour to a later date. Here are some of the key reasons why fans speculate that rescheduling may be imminent:
- Lack of promotion – Besides the initial announcement, there has been very little info released by Carti’s team about the tour in recent months. With the kickoff less than a month away, fans expected more promotion by now.
- No opening acts announced – As of now, no opening acts have been revealed for the tour. Opening acts are usually announced weeks in advance to help build anticipation.
- Cryptic social media posts – Carti posted some vague messages on social media that fans interpreted as hints that the tour may be getting postponed.
- Industry rumors – Rumors have been spreading among music industry insiders and journalists that the tour will get pushed back to 2023.
While nothing official has been announced yet, these factors have fans speculating that tour delays are imminent. It’s expected that Carti’s team will issue an official statement in the coming weeks.
What dates are most likely to be affected?
Though the full extent of any possible rescheduling is unclear right now, some tour dates seem more likely to be impacted than others if Carti does postpone the antagonist tour.
| Tour Date | City | Venue | Likelihood of Rescheduling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17 | Nashville, TN | Municipal Auditorium | High |
| Oct 22 | Houston, TX | Toyota Center | Moderate |
| Nov 7 | Seattle, WA | Climate Pledge Arena | Low |
| Nov 28 | Brooklyn, NY | Barclays Center | High |
| Dec 22 | Atlanta, GA | State Farm Arena | Moderate |
As the table above summarizes, the Nashville, Brooklyn, and Atlanta dates seem most prone to rescheduling based on current rumors. The tour opener in Nashville may get pushed back considering the lack of promotion so far. Meanwhile, New York and Atlanta are huge tour markets that Carti would want to give proper hype with opening acts still to be announced. Dates like Houston and Seattle seem safer bets right now to go ahead as scheduled.
How long could the postponement be?
If Playboi Carti does delay the antagonist tour, the postponement could range from a few weeks to several months depending on the reasoning behind the decision. Here are some possibilities on how long of a rescheduling we could be looking at:
- A few weeks – Logistical issues like production delays could push the tour back 2-4 weeks at most.
- 1-2 months – Allowing more time for promotion and rehearsals may require a medium delay.
- 3+ months – Bigger challenges like health issues could require postponing the full tour to 2023.
Realistically, a 1-2 month delay to the start of the tour in December or January seems plausible. However, if drastic issues are forcing Carti’s hand, a full postponement until next spring/summer is possible too. Hopefully we’ll get more clarity soon as Carti’s team addresses the rescheduling rumors.
Will tickets be valid for new dates?
An important question for fans is whether or not tickets already purchased will be valid for the antagonist tour’s new dates after any rescheduling. This depends on the policies of the ticketing platforms involved.
In most cases of tour postponements, existing tickets are valid by default for the new rescheduled dates. Ticketholders won’t have to repurchase tickets even if the dates change. Live Nation’s policy is that tickets are valid for new dates unless refunds are explicitly offered by the artist.
However, fans should still wait for an official announcement from Playboi Carti’s team on specifics of how tickets, refunds etc. will be handled with any antagonist tour postponement. There’s a chance they offer a refund window for a short time if new dates don’t work for some ticketholders. But existing tickets will almost certainly be honored.
Will there be any previously unscheduled tour dates added?
Whenmajor tours get rescheduled, it’s common for new shows to get added along with the existing dates. If the antagonist tour gets postponed to 2023, Playboi Carti could take the opportunity to tack on some new North American tour stops.
Some potential cities where Carti could add tour dates include:
- Miami, FL
- Vancouver, BC
- New Orleans, LA
- Kansas City, MO
- Washington, DC
Miami, Vancouver and Washington DC seem especially likely to get added tour stops. Carti likely wants to hit major markets not already on the schedule. And buffers between existing dates like New Orleans and Kansas City offer flexibility to add shows.
Fans hoping for antagonist tour stops in their city should keep their hopes up. New shows getting announced would be a nice consolation for fans already disappointed by postponements to the current schedule.
Will there be any opening act changes?
As mentioned earlier, Playboi Carti has yet to reveal an official lineup of supporting acts for the antagonist tour. If the tour gets postponed, it could allow him a chance to change up who will be opening.
Carti may opt to get some more big name openers on board to generate hype around a rescheduled tour. Some artists who could potentially join as tour openers include:
| Potential Opener | Genre |
|---|---|
| Young Thug | Rap |
| Playboi Carti | Pop punk |
| Yeat | Rap |
| Destroy Lonely | Emo rap |
Scoring big name openers like Young Thug or Turnstile could make postponing the tour worth it for Playboi Carti and his team. It would also help smooth things over with fans already disappointed by delays. Artists like Yeat and Destroy Lonely seem likely as supporting acts too.
How have fans reacted to the postponement rumors?
As expected, Playboi Carti fans have not been enthused by the rumors swirling about possible delays to the long awaited antagonist tour. Reactions have ranged from skeptical to panicked.
Many fans have been lamenting not getting concrete updates from Carti’s camp about what is going on. Others already started making plans for attending shows that might now be in jeopardy.
However some fans have also been cautiously optimistic that any postponements could allow Carti to book bigger venues. And some are actually relieved to have more time to save up for travel and tickets.
Overall though, anxious anticipation summarizes the general mood among fans online as they await official word on the status of the tour. The devout fanbase was incredibly hyped for the tour, so delays have certainly put a damper on that enthusiasm for now.
Conclusion
While nothing has been confirmed yet, mounting evidence suggests Playboi Carti’s long awaited antagonist tour is likely getting rescheduled to 2023. Rumored contributing factors range from logistical issues to health concerns. Specific dates in cities like Nashville, Brooklyn and Atlanta seem most prone to postponement right now.
How long of a delay we’ll be looking at also remains to be seen. Several weeks to even 6+ months are possibilities on the table. In the interim, Carti has opportunities to announce new tour stops and high profile opening acts. Fans meanwhile wait anxiously for concrete updates straight from the source.
Once Carti and his team break their silence to address the state of the antagonist tour, we’ll know for sure whether rumors of rescheduling carry weight. For now, fans may need to exercise some patience as the status of the highly anticipated tour hangs in balance. But it’s likely just a matter of time before Playboi Carti is once again ready to bring his punk swagger to stages across North America.