Astroworld Tragedy: What You Need to Know

On November 5, the music festival Astroworld ended in 8 deaths and dozens of injuries. This concert was part of the two-day event organized by rap singer Travis Scott which is held annually in Houston, Texas.

The tragedy began once the crowd, which comprised about 50,000 people, surged forward, pressing each other against the stage. As a result, people were crushed and injured, making it one of the deadliest crowd-control disasters at a concert in many years.

“I got there around 3 and saw people already struggling to stand straight,” said concertgoer Neema Djavadzadeh. “There was a lot of mob mentality going on, people willing to do whatever to be in line for merch, food, shows, you name it. A lot of fights broke out throughout the day.”

However, the real problem did not start until minutes before Scott began performing. Once the 30-minute timer started counting down for the concert, people began pushing forward and backward, crushing others.

This situation was made even worse when the artist appeared on stage. Then, the attendees were increasingly squeezed, leaving them without air. Many passed out while others screamed in terror to get security’s attention.

Videos were uploaded to various social media, showing the chaotic scene. One recording posted on YouTube showed Scott telling the crowd, “I want to see some rages. Who wants to rage?”. Later, he is heard warning the crowd by saying, “There’s an ambulance in the crowd, whoa, whoa, whoa.” The video has now been removed, but countless others are circulating online.

Since the event, a criminal investigation has begun and multiple lawsuits have been filed against the artist and the promoter. Scott and guest performer Drake have been accused of inciting the crowd, while the concert producer Live Nation is said to have failed to provide appropriate safety measures.

This type of behavior does not come as a surprise from Travis Scott, who is known for hosting wild and chaotic concerts. In 2015, he was charged for reckless conduct after encouraging the crowd to climb onto the stage at Lollapalooza and pleaded guilty. On another occasion, he was sued by a fan who was paralyzed after being pushed from a balcony and dragged on stage during his performance.

Bibliography

Astroworld: Travis Scott and Drake sued over deadly US festival crush. (2021, November 9). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59205570

Brown, M., Flores, R., & Hanna, J. (2021, November 8). At least 8 dead and many injured after crowd surge at Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival in Houston, officials say. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/06/us/houston-astroworld-festival/index.html

Henderson, J., et. al. (2021, November). Astroworld victim Bharti Shahani has died, bringing the death toll to 9. [Photograph]. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/11/us/travis-scott-concert-houston-thursday/index.html

Mulligan, A. (2021, November 10). Astroworld Victims Include High Schoolers and College Students. [Photograph]. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/article/astroworld-festival-victims.html

Patel, V., & Kasakove, S. (2021, November 10). What to Know About the Houston Astroworld Tragedy. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/article/astroworld-festival-what-to-know.html

Travis Scott's lawyer slams 'finger-pointing' over Astroworld tragedy: What we know. (2021, November 11). USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2021/11/10/travis-scott-astroworld-investigation-updates/6367498001/