The tragedy at Astroworld Fest

Eight people died and hundreds injured at the Astroworld Fest on 5 November. Ranging from ages 14 to 27, they were crushed under the weight of more than 50 thousand people. And 13 were hospitalized so far. Yet Travis Scott continued the concert amid the ambulances and paramedics. A petition has been filed to sue Travis Scott and the organisers by injured concert goers, reported Billboard. The victims' attorney argued that Travis Scott and the event organisers “consciously ignored the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers and in some cases actively encouraged and fomented dangerous behaviour".

Countless videos have been going viral ever since the incident started. Hundreds of fans had rushed into the arena, breaking in, to attend the event. The crowd had become suffocating, leaving no space to even move a hand. So when one person fell, chaos induced as more and more people started falling and getting trapped under the weight of others. The security and medic team were not prepared for this at all. As the overcrowding increased and people were pressed up against each other, getting crushed under the feet of hundreds, many had shouted and asked for help. Some even approached the stage management staff and begged to stop the show. Travis Scott replied “Who asked me to stop?” angrily, and continued singing.

Many claim that the deaths were completely avoidable if only Travis Scott cared about his fans, as he had full authority over the show, and should have stopped the concert when the gates were torn down before the show. Video footage further supports this claim. He stared straight ahead at an unconscious body and kept performing on an elevated platform. He saw the medic team and ambulances arrive and had yet to show sign to stop the show.

The crowd repeatedly chanting “Stop the show” didn’t stop him either. Even the stage management staff did not bother to listen to the cries of people, rather tried to push anyone who went up to them back into the crowd. With no signs to stop the show, people started to climb the metal side walls and barriers to escape. Video footage shows how desperately all these people were trying to escape, breaking the metal doors and barriers in order to not be crushed to death in the crowd.

On 7 November Travis Scott posted a video regarding this incident, claiming he is devastated and to cancel the rest of the tour in Vegas. But this enraged everyone as it seemed as if he did not care and was faking it.

On 8 November, the first out of 12 lawsuits was filed against him and concert organisers by an injured concert goer, as well as Drake who also performed at this show, for inciting the crowd. They are to be held responsible for the avoidable deaths and a compensation of one million dollar for the damages. Travis Scott was previously arrested back in 2015 for urging the crowd to rush to the stage at Lollapalooza, telling everyone to ignore security and climb the barricades. He had once told someone to jump and the person was paralyzed.

With his history of creating danger at his shows, he is getting criminally charged. Police further revealed that they had already warned him regarding public safety ahead of the event. On 9 November, he revealed he will now cover the full expense of the 8 victims who passed away which will also be providing mental health and emotional support resources. But the damage has been done.