What Happened at Astroworld?
A crowd surge during Travis Scott’s set at Astroworld on Friday night left at least eight dead and hundreds injured. The festival is canceled and investigators are working to get to the bottom of what happened.
According to the Houston Fire Department, the incident began at around 9:15 pm. 50,000 fans all pushed towards the front of the stage. By 9:30 pm, when Travis Scott brought out Drake for a guest appearance, the crowd has descended into chaos. Seventeen patients at the concert were transported to hospitals, with 11 of those experiencing cardiac arrest all by 9:38pm. One of the 17 patients was a 10 year old boy, confirmed by Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. But despite the madness, the concert carried on until 10:30 pm.
Attendees Recount Their Experiences
Videos from concertgoers have made their way onto social media, showing fans administering CPR and pleading to stop the concert. Some were climbing onto the risers trying to alert cameramen that something was wrong and they needed to stop the show.
Madeline Eskins, an attendee and an ICU nurse told Rolling Stone that she fainted as the crowd began to surge. After that, people crowd surfed her unconscious body to a VIP tent for medical attention. Read her account of the situation here on Instagram.
One video circulating on Twitter shows Travis Scott watching medical staff carrying an unconscious fan out of the crowd. He keeps singing as he watches from feet away.
What Comes Next?
This isn’t the first time Travis Scott has been under fire for behavior at his concerts. He was arrested in 2015 after telling fans to rush barricades at his Lollapolooza set. Similarly, he was arrested again in 2017 for encouraging fans to rush the stage at an Arkansas show.
Travis Scott tweeted a statement about the tragedy. “I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need”, he wrote.
