CHAPEL HILL — I still remember my first concert all those years ago. The year is 1990; I’m 14 and it’s the Paul McCartney World Tour with the former Beatle riffing alongside his first beloved wife, Linda.

It’s in north Miami at Joe Robbie Stadium, a sketchy part of town then. Of course, my father chaperones me.

Fast-forward to today: In the midst of a pandemic, my 10-year-old excuses himself from the dinner table because he says he needs to run upstairs to catch his first gig —  Travis Scott’s concert on Fortnite.

“Whaaaaaat?” I ask as he whizzes past. “Who is Travis Scott?” But it’s too late. He’s already out of sight stationed in front of the Xbox.

For those not in the know, Scott is a Grammy-nominated rapper (and baby daddy to cosmetics mogul and reality TV star Kylie Jenner) — and now a Fortnite avatar.

Overnight, he debuted his new song “Astronomical” live within the wildly popular online video game from Cary-based Epic Games. And apparently, it was a big hit.

“Over 12.3 million concurrent players participated live in Travis Scott’s Astronomical, an all-time record!” tweeted the official Fortnite account. That means Scott beat the 10.7 million audience for Marshmello’s Fortnite concert in February 2019.

Travis Scott concert on Fortnite. This is my son in the foreground, dressed in his “skin” (a.k.a. Jumpshot) attending the concert.

My son was among those adoring fans, dressed as his favorite “skin” transported to this online world, trying to catch a glimpse of the rapper.

During the opening song, a giant Scott stomped around the island; and as the tracks changed, so did the visuals. At one point everything was fiery and Scott turned into a cyborg; later it looked like everyone had been transported to Tron.

The performance is the first in a series of five Scott will make on Fortnite.

When I ask my son what all the fuss is about, he responds simply: “I like going to live events.”

This constitutes a LIVE event?

This is the future, I muse.  Virtual concerts.

As a parent, I’m looking for the silver lining: no chaperoning. My kid gets to hang out with his friends, head bang, listen to rap, whatever — all from the safety of our den. No wondering when he’s going to return home, or if he’s gotten into trouble. I can’t complain about that.

Rapper Travis Scott picks Fortnite for debut of new song Astronomical