What Happened at AstroWorld?

What Happened at AstroWorld?

“AstroWorld” is a music festival held in Houston Texas, it was first launched in 2018 following the release of the album by Travis Scott by the same name. The lineup for the 2021 festival included SZA, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny, Earth, Wind & Fire, 21 Savage, Baby Keem, Chief Keef, Master P, BIA, Don Toliver, Young Thug and other artists with the headliner being Tarvis Scott. 

 So why are we talking about this? During “AstroWorld” There was a storming of the event that led to severe overcrowding. “About 50,000 people were assembled there on Friday night when the injuries occurred, according to the Houston Fire Department.” Right before Travis Scott went on stage there was a mass rushing to the front of the venue, if anyone was at the front previously they were squished up to the barriers as thousands of people fought to get to the front. Many people reported being unable to breathe or move their arms because of the sheer magnitude of people, some went home with bruises from others simply because of how close everyone was. Testimonials from people report how for almost 20 minutes they were not in control of their own bodies’ movement, simply just being  subjected to the movement of the crowd. People started to pass out and fall to the ground. This left people to get trampled and led to the death of 8 people at the venue with many people injured and hospitalized. 

With the number of injuries and fatalities in this event, many people are rightfully looking to who is to blame for the negligence and gross understatement of medics.  Many draw an eye to Travis Scott himself, there has been an uproar in people demanding him to take responsibility for what happened. There are videos circulating of Scott looking directly at the bodies of the unconscious, medics, and police alike scattering around in order to try and save as many lives as possible. Similarly, there are many videos that show the crowd chanting “stop the show”, or people climbing up trying to get the attention of anyone in power to bring the event to an end only to be brushed off. NY times states how “Videos posted by concertgoers on social media showed a chaotic scene near the stage, with some people in the crowd pleading for help and others unaware of any serious problems.” Others go to social media to express how they believe he may not have known what was happening, but many retort with videos of other celebrities reacting quickly and appropriately to situations with a lower magnitude than what was happening that Friday night. The NY Times recounts a situation where an emergency medical vehicle was attempting to get through the crowd. “For several seconds, there was no music. Mr. Scott looked toward the crowd and the red and blue lights of an ambulance could be seen amid the sea of people. Then, Mr. Scott said, “If everybody is good, put a middle finger up in the sky.” As the music resumed, Mr. Scott urged the crowd to make the “ground shake.”The concert continued for about another 30 minutes, then ended with Mr. Scott waving to the crowd and jogging offstage as he said: “I love y’all. Make it home safe. Good night!”  Many cite this instance as a major showing of gross negligence on Travis Scott’s part.

This is especially incriminating when it’s paired with Travis’ past in invoking crowd violence. TMZ brings up how “there are a number of still photos Travis has posted on his Instagram account from over the years that show fans of his injured to varying degrees … from what appears to be simply attending concerts of his.” and how “Travis has gotten in trouble in the past for encouraging people to rush the stage. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to charges of reckless conduct stemming from an incident at Lollapalooza. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after law enforcement said he incited a riot at a show in Arkansas.” 

 

Lawsuits and information are coming out every day in this situation. People have their own theories and who they believe is to blame, but no matter what I believe it’s important to stay educated and updated on this tragic situation. We as a whole need to learn proper regulations and safety measures in order to never have an event like that happen again.