Lilliana Escobar
Staff Writer
News about Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival has broken out throughout multitudes of social media platforms and news channels. Many are concerned about the incidents that took place and the tragic outcome of 9 confirmed deaths and over 300 injured. People that attended the concert have filed at least 17 lawsuits against Travis Scott and others involved with the event to hold them responsible for the crowd surge. This has led to public concern about how previous Travis Scott concerts were handled.
Travis Scott has a long history of disorderly conduct and allegedly inciting riots as well as endangering the welfare of his concert-goers. This information resurfaced on the internet after the Astroworld incident that took place in Houston earlier this month. Much of the public did not know Travis’s history of misconduct before the concert incident which incited more anger towards Travis and his team. This is the biggest incident of Travis Scott’s concerts, but it is not the first time that Travis has promoted unsafe conduct of concert-goers. On April 30, 2017, at Terminal 5 in New York, Travis Scott allegedly prompted 27-year-old Kyle Green to jump off the third-floor balcony which led him to become paralyzed.
I attended a Travis Scott concert at Rolling Loud in New York on October 30, one week before the grand incident occurred. He was the last person to perform during the three day festival and had one of the biggest crowds. I was in the middle of the crowd, but 20 minutes in, I had to leave out of the crowd because my friends were having difficulty breathing. We watched from afar until the concert ended.
The news of the tragic event at Astroworld has stunned me and I am also concerned about why there were not enough qualified security guards and safety precautions to prevent so many deaths and injuries. I feel great grief for the families and young kids who attended the festival since music festivals are meant to be an event of celebration and enjoyment. This was not the case for the festival-goers at Astroworld on November 5.
Three students from Alexandria City High School that have attended previous Travis Scott events share their experiences and compare and contrast them with the Astroworld Festival events.
When and where did you attend a Travis Scott concert?
Damani Brown (11th grader): In 8th Grade at the Capital One Arena.
Liam Smith (11th grader): I saw him this summer at Rolling Loud in Miami. It was in the parking lot of the Dolphins stadium.
Lucia Carriglio (12th grader): At Citi Field, New York on October 30 during the Rolling Loud festival.
Where were you located in the crowd? Did you feel safe in the position you were in?
Brown: I was seated. Yes, being seated allowed a lot more space in between one another.
Smith: In the beginning, my friends and I were in the middle and to the left, I’m pretty sure. I felt very squished because so many people were trying to get to the front but I felt safe because everyone there was really nice. Like if someone fell, they would pick them up. But we did have to move back after like 40 minutes because it was getting too packed.
Carriglio: I went pretty close for the first 20 minutes, but it kept getting more and more crowded so my friends and I slowly started to get farther from the stage, it started getting too hard to get fresh air so leaving when we did was the right thing and we watched the rest from a farther spot but it was still fun.
Do you think there should be an age limit?
Brown: Yes, for safety reasons.
Smith: Yes. They should probably have it 13 or older, but if you are younger or smaller you should probably stay in the back because you would get crushed. At that concert though, there weren’t many young kids. Mostly 17-20 yr old.
Carriglio: If it’s for a festival like rolling loud, then there should definitely be an age limit because of what younger kids can be exposed to and it is dangerous and violent when you get into the crowds. It’s not a place for kids.
How do you think the situation at Astroworld was handled?
Brown: Poorly. I believe the show should’ve been stopped.
Smith: I think it was extremely understaffed and there were way too many people there. They should have a limit on how many people can go to a concert. Also, I think Travis or one of the producers should’ve stopped the show or at least cut the music to calm the crowd.
Carriglio: They weren’t prepared for what happened. It was so messy and there wasn’t enough help. If they had better and more security as well as other staff, even if people were getting hurt, more people would have been helped and saved.
Do you think Travis Scott and his team are at fault for not stopping the concert?
Brown: I wouldn’t say Travis and his team was at fault for the situation because these incidents were caused by the people in the crowd.
Smith: I don’t know if Travis Scott was aware of the amount of people that were passing out and dying but I saw a video of people [from the crowd] telling one of the producers to stop. I think they definitely should have.
Carriglio: It would only be their fault if they were all aware and knew the situation, then they definitely should have stopped it. They are to blame for the majority of the incidents, but again, only if they all knew and were aware.
Do you look at Travis Scott as an influencer differently now?
Brown: I wouldn’t necessarily say I look at him differently as an influencer but I definitely wouldn’t recommend attending one of his concerts.
Smith: I think what he did at the Astroworld festival was irresponsible and he could’ve prevented it. I think he is not 100% at fault but he still could’ve calmed the crowd. I definitely think what happened was extremely sad because concerts are supposed to be fun and you shouldn’t have to fear for your life.
Carriglio: I try not to get myself involved in celebrity drama, and Travis never really had an influence on my life, at the end of the day, I will still listen to his music.
Would you attend another Travis Scott event after hearing the news about Astroworld?
Brown: Yes, I would due to the fact that Travis is an incredible artist and great performer.
Smith: Yes, it was the best concert I’ve ever been to but I hope they increase the safety precautions for other people so that everyone can enjoy it [the concert].
Carriglio: I probably would but like last time, I would have doubts, but that’s been the case every time I go because I never know what can happen in these events.
