Astroworld: What happens next?

By Resonate | February 23, 2022

Written by Finch Evans

As we come to terms with the tragedy at Astroworld, questions are already being asked about how such a disaster could take place. The investigations arising from the multiple lawsuits taken out against Travis Scott and his management, including Live Nation, the company responsible for organising the event, should give us a glimpse into the factors that led to that tragic loss of life.

On Friday November 5^th at Astroworld, an event founded by Scott in 2019, a crush in the crowd occurred when the rapper took to the stage for his headline slot. Reports from video footage analysed by Houston Chronicle state audience member collapses started from 9.39pm. However, eyewitnesses report crushes as early as 30 seconds into the performance and even in the lead up to Scott taking the stage. Despite this, Scott still finished his set at 10.15pm, 36 minutes after the reported collapses. 

By now most of us have seen the haunting and surreal footage of an unconscious fan being pulled from the crush with Scott, seemingly unbothered, continuing to perform above him. This video has become almost symbolic of the entire event. Scott, bathed in spotlights and autotune, ignoring the mayhem around him. 

This is not the first time Scott has come under fire for his rowdy live performances. The Houston rapper has built a reputation for having some of the most ferociously high energy shows in mainstream music, and regularly blurs the lines between the performative anarchy and catharsis expected at these types of shows, often instigating outright violence. Before Astroworld, Scott had reportedly urged crowds to destroy barriers, disobey security and even egged a crowd into assaulting a fellow crowd member after they allegedly stole Scott’s shoe whilst he was crowd surfing. 

So, it’s clear from this evidence that Travis Scott can be a problematic live performer, a fact that irks many fans and fellow performers. It’s a privilege for any performer to play for 50 people, never mind 50,000, and it’s an unspoken rule that part of that privilege comes with the responsibility of doing all in your power to keep the people who are spending their time and money to see you safe. In fact, at least in the UK, it’s widely considered best practice for an event of that size for the artist to be briefed on basic crowd safety issues, which Scott allegedly was. Is it fair, however, to drop all the responsibility at his feet?  

Of course, a rapper’s main responsibility at a show is to entertain, not police. If a show ever goes badly enough you have to rely on  the performer to make the decision to stop it, several things have already gone horribly wrong. Where was security in all this? What went wrong in the planning of this event that led to such crushes? Is Scott being used as a scapegoat for the organisers and authorities in charge of putting on and authorising this event? 

Naturally, the lack of action from security has been widely reported. This has been attributed to the fact that a labour shortage meant a lack of trained and experienced event security. As well as this, the lack of pay for event security means it’s not a job many gravitate towards. Maybe it’s time for event organisers to reach a little deeper into their pockets to ensure their events are staffed with well trained and attentive security. 

The pre-planning for the event has also come under fire, particularly from Dr Keith Still, professor of crowd science from the University of Suffolk. According to Still, there were countless issues with the set-up for the event, particularly for a performer with the energy and reputation of Scott. How could an event of this size, run by organisers of this size, be so haphazardly organised. 

So, an overhaul of organisation and staffing needs to take place, but can this be done without harming the experience for the fans. After all, with live music just recovering from the near knock-out blow of the pandemic, will a rebuild of event safety be the straw that breaks the camel’s back? 

Events like Scott’s thrive on a balance between a sense of danger and catharsis and maintaining the safety of all involved. Any changes would need to take this into account. This isn’t to mention the costs included in increasing the safety of audiences, a cost that will surely be passed down to the exact fans that need protection. 

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