Astroworld Festival: Outrage, Conspiracies and a Potential Genre War

"It was an absolute shit show."

- eye witness

As a regular concert-goer, this tragedy caught my attention. Nobody should go to a concert and not return home.

On November 5th, 2021, 100,000 people attended Astroworld Festival, an annual music festival run by American rapper Travis Scott, held in Houston, Texas. This number soon increased to more, however, as hundreds of additional fans stormed the entrance barriers throughout the day, bypassing security and knocking down security controls (VIDEO). This ultimately led to huge, uncontrollable crowds that left many being trampled, crushed, and, in eight horrendous cases, dead. UPDATE: Three more people have died as a result of injuries sustained at Astrofest, leading the total to 11.

Hundreds of additional fans stormed the security gates, bypassing security and knocking down security controls.

Many were quick to point out that Travis has been guilty of encouraging this type of behaviour in the past. In 2015, Travis pled guilty to misdemeanor reckless conduct after his fans jumped a security barricade at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago. In the same year at the Open Air festival in Switzerland, video footage shows Travis encouraging fans to attack a man who attempted to steal his shoe (VIDEO). He also posted a video of a passed-out fan on his Instagram account, seemingly praising them for pushing themselves to the point of risking their health (pictured). This further supports the argument that he actively encourages fans to engage in reckless behaviour.

Two years later in 2017, Travis pled guilty for encouraging fans to bypass security and rush the stage at one of his shows in Arkansas. 

In the promotional video for Astrofest 2021 (VIDEO) a montage of clips shows people breaking down barriers and going crazy in the crowds, which doesn't necessarily show that Travis is now trying to discourage this behaviour. In addition, during this year's Astrofest Travis asks for the lights to shine on the crowd before pointing out an audience member, saying 'make some noise for my boy right there hanging in the tree'. After this, he tells everyone to put their middle fingers up in the sky "because they are ready to rage". He also tweeted about how they were still 'sneaking' others in, meaning he was aware of overcrowding.

The panicked faces of people in the crowd

What happened?

By the time all the excess concert-goers made their way to the stage ready for Travis' set, the entire area was jam-packed. At around 9pm the crowd began to surge towards the stage. People reported being packed 'like sardines' to the point where there was literally no room for their lungs to expand (read an eye-witness account HERE). This along with body heat, possible intoxication, and obvious panic soon led to a number of people passing out. Video footage of the crowd shows people shouting for help (VIDEO), and it is around this time that Travis points out the man in the tree. 

At around 9:30pm, panic has spread even further and people are becoming desperate. Video footage shows people climbing up to a raised platform where the camera operators were located. They plead with them to notice what is happening in the crowd, explaining that they believe some people have died. The camera operators appear to ignore these cries for help (VIDEO) (another VIDEO).

Fan footage shows a medical golf cart in the crowd while people continue to dance

By now, medical golf carts with flashing lights have begun making their way into the crowd. Travis notices one and asks the crowd to raise their middle fingers in the air if they are okay. The crowd does and so Travis continues, saying "I want to make this motherfucking ground shake". More video footage shows people climbing on top of the carts and dancing instead of offering help (VIDEO) (another VIDEO). The fact that Travis has noticed the situation deteriorating yet continues to offer little help has, understandably, upset many people.

The aftermath of Astrofest

Some horrendous footage has since made its way around social media platforms. In one video, a lady is being lifted over a barrier on a stretcher by medics, who then accidentally drop her head-first onto the metal groundsheet below (VIDEO - view with caution). It is unclear whether the woman is deceased or not in the video, but it is disturbing nonetheless. Other videos show people's panic-stricken faces as the crushing continues, and people laying on the floor receiving CPR while others dance around them seemingly none the wiser (VIDEO).

Others who were present in the crowd have since taken to social media to share their experiences. One girl described how she was an ICU nurse, and noticed how apparently under-prepared and clueless the on-site medical staff were. She noticed how many were quick to offer CPR before checking for a pulse, so she stepped in to correct them. They asked her for her help, and so she continued to help others until more help arrived (read a statement from the woman HERE). This woman, as well as many others, has expressed how panicked and poorly executed the medical response was. Some people had been unconscious for 30 minutes until help arrived. This, unfortunately, meant that some people passed away. It was clear that the medical staff were not prepared for something this extreme - see this video from one of the medics discussing Astrofest HERE. So far there have been eight confirmed deaths. UPDATE: Three more people have died as a result of injuries sustained at Astrofest, leading the total to 11.

L/R: Franco Patino, Brianna Rodriguez, and Jacob Jurinek, three of the confirmed victims.

Outrage

As well as the obvious outrage at the lack of medical efficiency and the inconsiderate actions of others, news articles soon angered people by letting the world know that Kylie Jenner, partner of Travis, was safe after being escorted out of the festival. The articles have been perceived as being inconsiderate, as in 'people died in horrendous circumstances, but at least Kylie Jenner is okay!' The articles were likely expressing concern as she is pregnant, but it is easy to regard them as tone-deaf all the same. Kylie was joined by three-year-old daughter Stormi, which has also caused an outcry, and sister Kendall. More recent articles describe how Kris Jenner, Kylie's mother and manager, is in 'crisis mode' as Kyle 'may lose millions' from her beauty business as a result of negative press following this Astroworld tragedy. As a celebrity who makes millions anyway, it seems insensitive for media outlets to be reporting stories like this when there are much bigger concerns surrounding Astroworld and its victims at hand.

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There has been some debate as to whether or not Kylie was fully aware of the unfolding nightmare. It is pretty obvious that she would have been aware of some injuries - in an Instagram story post she has since deleted, an ambulance can clearly be seen in the crowd (VIDEO). Again, like Travis, this may not have caused too much concern as injuries are common in large-scale events like this one. 

In videos taken by others in the crowd, you can see Kylie and Kendall looking on from a separate tent lined with security. While Kendall can be seen maskless, dancing, and looking joyful, Kylie instead stands still, hands crossed in front of her, seemingly silent behind her mask. While this may of course have been completely innocent, others have suggested that she may have been quietly concerned about the surging of people and crowd crushing happening in front of her. 

Stills from Kylie Jenner's and Travis Scott's Instagram stories

In an Instagram post, Kylie stated that neither she nor Travis were aware of the fatalities until after the show had ended. She reported that they were both "devastated" to learn of the news, and Travis proceeded to post a number of videos on his Instagram story. He said that "anytime I could make out, you know, anything that's going on, you know I stop the show and, you know, help them get the help they need." He went on to say, "I could just never imagine the severity of the situation... I'm honestly just devastated and I could never imagine anything like this just happening."

Many have taken his videos to be genuine. My personal opinion, based solely on his videos, is that while he was aware that the crowd was getting out of control at times and that people were passing out, he genuinely did not realise that people had died. I believe he was ignorant in not realising how far his encouragement of reckless behaviour could go... this does not mean I am blaming him for how the entire situation played out, but I believe he should take some accountability.

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In additional videos shared by others, Kylie and her crew can be seen being escorted out of the crowd (VIDEO). It is unclear whether they were escorted out before or after the music stopped. As a result, people have been questioning why the VIP area was escorted out quickly while others were left suffering in the crowd. Logistically, it would have been very difficult, if not impossible, to escort the entire crowd out this way, and so it would be unfair to criticise medical staff for not doing this. However, news outlets have reported that while those who were passed out were either tended to on the floor in the crowd or carried out after tens of minutes of waiting, it is unfair that the VIP section was somewhat favoured by being escorted out quickly and efficiently. Many of the people who were passed out were not tended to right away - not only did they have to wait for medical staff to even acknowledge them, but they were reportedly carried away and left in a medical tent to wait even longer before being seen to. While this is a clear reflection of the lack of knowledge, or perhaps common sense, held by the medical staff, it can be easy to see how the crowd may have felt they could have been given the same treatment but were not. 

Travis pausing the show

Genre war?

In the wake of all of this people have been quick to share videos showing other celebrities stopping shows in order to help fans, including Harry Styles, Adele, and Linkin Park. As a rock/metal music fan, I am exposed to a number of fan pages and websites that many others wouldn't be, and so my suggestion of a potential 'genre war' is a reflection of that. The term 'genre war' is a phrase I saw somebody comment on a Facebook post comparing other musicians to Travis.

The main criticism here is that if other artists are able to stop their shows in order to help fans, then Travis could have done the same. The argument that Travis couldn't see the extent of the panic due to all the lights etc has been proved false by the fact that many other musicians have been able to do so. 

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Rock fans are also quick to point out that there is such a thing as 'mosh pit etiquette'. The main premise is that if you see someone go down in a crowd, you stop to help them up. This also illustrates the community spirit held by all in attendance - you are all there for the same reason, and everyone there is equal. 

I have seen Facebook posts claiming that many of those at Astroworld, rap-music fans, may simply have not followed mosh pit etiquette. One user went as far as to suggest that fans of rap music only 'mosh', which typically means thrashing around violently to the music, for the 'aesthetic' - basically, to look cool - meaning they have no regard for the wellbeing of those around them. 

Others have claimed that this would have 'never' happened at a rock or metal concert, not only due to moshing etiquette but also the number of videos that appear to prove this, such as those pictured above. However, rock and metal crowds have a reputation for being the most violent of all the genres. Back in 1979, 11 people died due to the crowd surging at a The Who concert.

This argument against rap music fans, of course, has no basis in truth. While it may be true of some individuals, it would be unfair to generalise it to an entire genre of music. There have been crowd crush deaths at multiple concerts across a variety of genres over the years. 

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Conspiracy theories

I thought I would save the most outlandish theories for last. A number of people have claimed that the crowd surging and crushing was a planned ritualistic sacrifice... yeah. 

A number of videos were posted to Tik Tok supporting the theory, but the platform has since removed all 'suspicious content' relating to this. 

There have been a number of claims that somebody was running around injecting people with a needle, causing them to pass out. A police officer present at the festival confirmed that he himself was stabbed in the neck with a needle, but did not confirm that this is what was causing people to pass out. This may have been an isolated incident. If it is true, however, then this shows an element of planning to cause harm.

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Astroworld flyer

Others, such as the poster of the above Instagram caption, have suggested that the advertisement of the festival held clues as to what was going to happen. One YouTuber analysed the flyer - he suggested that the two hands represent Travis 'puppeteering people', and the eyes in the palms are hypnotising you to enter the tunnel also seen on the flyer (VIDEO). The same YouTuber also suggests that the stage set up itself looked like a 'portal to hell', which is interesting as many of the fans who were present described the nightmarish scenes as being 'demonic'. A Twitter user also commented on how the entrance to the festival - a large feature of Travis' head - looked remarkably similar to Mouth of Hell, referenced in Dante's Inferno (pictured below). Another user claims that Travis' recent album art, which depicted him as an 'evil-looking gremlin' was further 'proof' that Travis had malicious intentions.

Twitter

Others in attendance also mentioned the strangeness of the music that was playing between sets. Some also described it as 'demonic', whereas many commented on how it made them feel uncomfortable and brought about 'headaches'. There is some basis to this - music at particular frequencies could induce headaches and nausea in some people, and may therefore be an accompanying factor in causing people to pass out, especially if they are also hot and intoxicated. The music was a vocal-free mix of frequencies - one attendee described them as 'dark, ominous tones', and others described pulsating sounds imitating a heartbeat. The music apparently became more intense as time drew closer to Travis' set starting. Some conspiracy theorists have suggested that this was an attempt to 'brainwash' the crowd, and thus could be partly responsible for the crowd surging. Apparently the music went on for 6-7 hours - see a video HERE.

Top row from left, Brianna Rodriguez, Rodolfo Pena, Madison Dubiski, Axel Acosta Avila. Bottom, Franco Patino, Jacob Jurinek, Danish Baig and John Hilgert.

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Just to be clear, I do not believe any of these conspiracy theories. I do, however, believe that Travis Scott has a lot to answer for. His encouragement of reckless behaviors is certainly not helpful, and he should probably revise his medical department for future Astroworld Festivals if they go ahead that is. It has since been reported that he will be paying for all of the victims' funerals, and will likely have to shell out a lot more - so far there are 58 lawsuits connected with this disaster. 

Firefighters have since reported that communication between officials and emergency responders at the festival was 'poor', and other articles have stated how police officials were caught filming the concert 30 minutes after a "mass casualty event" was declared. Houston police also stated that they felt it was the 'production and entertainer's responsibility to end the concert, which ultimately comes across as an attempt to shift blame. If I was an attendee in trouble at Astroworld, I would have felt incredibly let down and unsafe.

It is clear that many people are in the wrong here. Hopefully, this will be a huge lesson for officials in all emergency sectors - it is just a shame something on this scale had to happen first. 

My thoughts are with all the victims and their families.

John Hilgert, aged 14 

Brianna Rodriguez, aged 16

Jacob Jurinek, aged 20

Franco Patiño, aged 21

Axel Acosta, aged 21

Rudy Peña, aged 23

Madison Dubiski, aged 23

Danish Baig, aged 27

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