The Playboi Carti Antagonist 2.0 Tour was one of the more unusual, boundary-pushing productions I’ve ever been part of on the team. After years of delays—from the original 2023 announcement through postponements and cancellations—he finally launched in October 2025, kicking off in Salt Lake City’s Delta Center and wrapping in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena by December 1.
Spanning 31 North American arena dates, it brought the full Opium family together: Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, Homixide Gang, and Apollo Red opening with raw, high-octane sets that set the tone for Carti’s headlining chaos.
Each show brought so much energy
Being on the production side meant living in the trenches of load-ins, tech rehearsals, and the nightly resets. The stage design was massive and dystopian—two semi-trucks positioned front-stage with beaming headlights cutting through thick fog, creating an apocalyptic vibe like vehicles abandoned in a post-rave wasteland. Elevated platforms allowed the crew and Carti to prowl above the crowd, while moving elements (like platforms inching closer) amplified the sense of impending riot. We used heavy haze machines, cryo blasts, pyro, and flames on select tracks, all punted to the pounding 808s and distorted bass that define Carti’s sound. The lighting rig was brutal: relentless white pixels washing the arena, sharp white strobes firing in rapid bursts to disorient and energize, blackouts for dramatic reveals, and Ultimo Sharpys slicing through smoke. It felt less like a concert and more like stepping into an alternate reality—gothic, aggressive, and unapologetically chaotic.
Diverse range of guests:
Night after night, the energy was electric. Fans arrived in full Opium uniform: torn black denim, spiked accessories, ski masks, face paint, and Chrome Hearts dripping everywhere. Mosh pits erupted before openers even hit the stage, turning floors into swirling seas of bodies. The setlist varied city to city (especially if we had guests) but stayed relentless—blending heavy cuts from Music like “Pop Out” (often repeated multiple times for crowd hypnosis), “Evil Jordan,” “Olympian,” “Timeless,” “FE!N,” “CARNIVAL,” and “Stop Breathing,” with Whole Lotta Red staples (“Rockstar Made,” “Sky,” “R.I.P.”) and throwbacks (“Shoota,” “Long Time”). Unreleased gems like “Rockstar,” “Made It This Far,” and debuts such as “South Atlanta Baby” kept things unpredictable. Surprise moments hit hard: Kendrick Lamar joining for “Good Credit” in LA, A$AP Rocky reunions, or local guests like Lil Baby in Detroit. The crowd’s response was feral—screaming ad-libs, circle pits, and flares lighting up the darkness.
Met some great people along the way…
From load-out in one city to truck calls in the next, the tour tested everyone. We dealt with intense haze lingering for hours, strobing lights to Carti’s improvised flows, and managing the sheer volume that rattled arenas. But watching the payoff—20,000 fans losing themselves in the ritual, Carti commanding the stage like a vampiric conductor—was worth every 4 a.m. strike. It wasn’t just a show; it was a movement, solidifying Opium’s cult status and Carti’s reign as rage rap’s goth king. Touring this beast felt like being inside the eye of a storm—exhausting, exhilarating, and unforgettable.
