Astroworld: What Went Wrong?
THOMAS SHEA/AFP
Travis Scott’s third annual Astroworld Festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, turned tragic on November 5. The condensed crowds left 10 audience members from 9 to 27 years-old dead and dozens injured.
The concert environment had many concerns prior to the show itself. According to a security-plan document obtained by The New York Times, the layout of the performance site did not meet the needs to control potential evacuation, prevent incidents relating to alcohol and drugs, and prevent mass casualties in threatening situations.
As the entrance gates opened, excited fans charged past security checkpoints. Local news teams caught this all on film, capturing concert-goers’ distress as they watched others climb over those who had toppled by the entry.
Many other problems occurred during the show, such as “crowd crush”. “Crowd crush” occurs when a large group of people push each other towards a certain direction, which was the case when audience members at Astroworld rushed in the direction of Scott’s stage. People experienced pressure against them as fans tried to move closer to the stage. The intensity of this increased as the show’s countdown progressed. Some struggled to breathe as they were pushed from all sides with nowhere to escape, and a panic arose. Unconscious bodies were crowd surfed towards security or made notice of when found, whereas others got lost in the waves of people.
Compacted conditions, a dense audience of about 50,000 people, exceeding the venue’s intended limits, and barriers keeping everyone within the concert grounds led to the tragedies that transpired.
YouTuber Jacoury Goode shared his experience at the festival in a video, stating “once one person fell, it was like a domino effect. Everyone [started] falling.” He described the crowd as a stampede as people fought against being trampled and jumped over.
Lack of medical staff, equipment, and security control added to the stress of the situation. In an interview with FOX 26 Houston, ICU nurse Denise Middleton discussed how she assisted the medics after she had fainted twice and was lifted away by the crowd. She explained to the news outlet that some of the medics had little-to-no experience with situations similar to the one that had unfolded at the concert. Middleton recalled instructing many staff and providing medical care as unconscious bodies were transferred to their area. “There were other civilians trying to help do CPR who didn’t know how,” she described, “Travis acknowledged that something was happening in the crowd. He acknowledged that there was an ambulance. He acknowledged that someone had passed out and then just continued the concert.”
Audience members have shared their stories of disappointment and frustration in how the concert turnout was handled. Many people who had been in the crowds called out to security, cameramen, and Travis Scott to alert them of the crisis, and chanted to stop the show. Two individuals were filmed trying to alert a camera operator at different points of time. Both attempts to stop the show were waved off and the performance continued.
Travis Scott had paused twice during the show: once when noticing an ambulance in the audience and again during a song to notify security of an unconscious person. However, he continued and the show was cut by about 20 minutes.
On Instagram, Scott shared a video sending his condolences to the victims’ families, and explaining how he would have stopped the show if he knew about the dangers in the crowd.
There have been mixed reactions to his response. Some believe that it was insincere and forced, due to his lack of personal accountability and because he had not apologized for the incidents that occurred. In the past, Scott encouraged wild and unsafe behaviour at his concerts, causing a number of fans to believe that his decision to continue the show was irresponsible. Other fans expressed how Scott may not have known about the casualties while performing.
Any legal actions currently have not been made public. As of November 11, according to the LA Times, the Houston Police Department (“HPD”) is in the process of conducting a criminal investigation. HPD Chief Troy Finner, has arrangements with the FBI to discuss the possibilities this is a case of manslaughter. Although the public suspects Scott may face charges, as of December 14 this is simply speculation.