On November 5, 2021, tragedy struck at the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas, during headliner Travis Scott’s set. Eight people died, while 25 more were hospitalized. In total, over 300 concert-goers needed medical attention.

Anyone who knows the essence of a Travis Scott concert and his behavior, knows this was soon to come. Scott and Live Nation, the company hosting the concert, enabled the Astroworld tragedies.

Scott is known for his energetic performances and chaotic crowds. The most notable word associated with his performances is “rage.” Scott often encourages mosh pits, breaking barricades, and disobeying orders from security. But at what moment does the “rage” go too far? 

During his set at “Lollapalooza” in 2015,  he encouraged his fans to jump past the barricades and push past security to “rage” with him. Five minutes later, his set was cancelled and he was taken into custody. 

At a 2017 concert, Scott encouraged a fan to jump from the balcony above the second floor down to the crowd below. As a result, the fan broke several bones, including his vertebrae, paralyzing him from the waist down. The fans’ attorney Howard Hershenhorn said, “Security picked him up like a sack of potatoes and carried him toward the front…Unfortunately, he was paralyzed.”

In the most recent incident, a crowd of over 50,000 people waited at the Astroworld Festival to see Scott. When he came out, they surged forward resulting in the trampling of concert-goers. 

This should have been expected. Scott’s previous behavior has given the fans the sense of righteousness to act in inhumane ways during his concerts. 

The small area for his performance at the festival, on top of the undertrained and understaffed security and medical teams, should have been a clear indication that the concert would end in injuries.

Live Nation provided little to no resources for the medical team at the festival. The security was limited and could not control a crowd of that size, resulting in many fans storming through the gates with no tickets just to see the artists perform. 

The company’s under planning of the event and pure laziness is a direct reason for the tragedy that happened in Houston.  

Live Nation and Travis Scott should be held accountable for their actions and enabling the tragedy that happened in Houston last Friday. Their utter lack of preparedness, lackadaisical planning, and overall management of the festival is the direct cause of the death of eight people. 

In multiple posts from Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott, they both stated they did not understand the severity of the event, while that night Kylie posted a video from the concert with the ambulance in the corner. The video was shortly deleted. 

Videos have surfaced of two members from the audience reaching the stage and screaming for anyone’s attention. They both were ignored and moved off the stage. The stories from audience members and videos make it hard to believe Scott did not understand the severity of the situation. 

Scott has made several social media posts apologizing and “praying” for those affected. Fans have rejected these apologies, feeling they are ingenuine and orchestrated. At least 14 lawsuits have been filed so far with more to come. 

Scott has stated he is willing to pay for the funeral cost of the eight people who lost their lives, but that is not enough. Will fans forget what he did and attend his next concert like they have done in previous years? 

Scott should not receive any special treatment due to his social status. Scott and Live Nation neglected to properly prepare for the festival and its size, and they should be held accountable for causing these tragedies. 

Scott should be banned from performing at any arena, amphitheater, or music festival. Apple Music, the company responsible for filming the Travis Scott set, should take responsibility for not making an effort to shut the concert down and pay the victims. Scott’s music should also be removed from their platform. 

If we do not take away the things that keep celebrities’ incomes steady, they will never learn from their past mistakes.

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