Fortnite live music concerts: This is really happening

By Chris Burns/April 24, 2020 10:16 am EST

Fortnite held a live music concert, streaming a performance of a real, actual, live music artist in the game. How did it work? Who is Travis Scott? What's going on here? Is this the way the future is going to work, now that we're quarantined for COVID-19 all around the world in a never-ending repeat of the same day, over and over again. Did Epic Games find the way to beat the madness?

The situation in this latest Fortnite event is a performance of a music track from the music artist Travis Scott. The performance of this track – and the track itself – is called Astronomical. According to Epic Games, "Astronomical is an other-worldly experience inspired by Cactus Jack's creations, built from the ground up in Fortnite."

Per the big Epic Games release, "To make sure everyone has a chance to experience Astronomical, we're setting up multiple tour dates with showtimes for players around the globe. Jump in to whichever time fits your schedule best, or catch an encore with your friends if they missed it."

- THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2020 AT 6:00:00 PM CDT

- FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020 AT 9:00:00 AM CDT

- FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020 AT 11:00:00 PM CDT

- SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020 AT 10:00:00 AM CDT

- SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2020 AT 5:00:00 PM CDT

All you'll need to do to get in on the performance is drop in on Fortnite at one of the times listed above. If you've dropped in on the event at any point during the performance (starting 30 minutes before release time), you'll get an "Astroworld Cyclone Glider" as well as two new loading screens for use through the future on your account.

If you've not been in the game for a while, you'll see some "Astronomical Challenges" that'll give your account more free gear upon completion. Fortnite is a free app, available for iOS (iPhone, iPad), Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Android. This isn't the first time Epic Games (creators of Fortnite) have worked with music artists to showcase their skills in an event like this – and it's not the last!