First and foremost, condolences to all the lives lost, the injured, the traumatized, and families of everyone affected.
The 2021 Astroworld Festival took place at NRG Park in Houston, Texas on Friday, Nov. 5. The music festival took place one week after Travis Scott had performed at Rolling Loud at Citi Field in Queens, New York.
Astroworld has become a tradition with Scott and his hometown of Houston.
The “Astroworld” name comes from Scott’s 2018 three-time platinum album, whose name originated from the closed “Six Flags” amusement park.
The 2021 Astroworld Festival was headlined by Scott, with performances by other artists like Lil Baby, Young Thug, Earth, Wind, & Fire, SZA, Bad Bunny, Master P, 21 Savage and many other artists.
Scott’s performance at the festival was supposed to highlight a memorable week for fans that also included a celebrity softball game and the opening of a community garden named “Cactus Jack Gardens” for Scott’s grandmother.
At the festival fans were also given an opportunity to buy a pair of Travis Scott’s highly sought after Nike Air Max 1 Nike collaboration set to release in December.
It is important to note that more details are emerging, so some of the information may be dated.
Around 9:30 p.m. the crowd was starting to surge towards the stage.
Drake had made a surprise appearance to perform “Sicko Mode” with Scott, the song they feature on together.
An estimated 50,000 people were in attendance and it ended with nine people dead and an estimated 300 people treated for injuries.
Mosh pits, injuries and even people passing out are common at festivals. However, dying is not something that normally occurs.
The ages of the victims range between 14-27 years old. Other victims include a 9-year-old in a coma and a 22-year-old, who has been declared brain dead.
Harris County has released the names of the 8 AstroWorld victims:
Mirza Baig, 27, HOU.
Rodolfo Peña, 23, Laredo
Madison Dubiski, 23, Cypress
Franco Patiño, 21, Illinois
Jacob Jurinke, 20, Illinois
John Hilgert, 14, HOU
Axel Acosta Avila, 21, Washington
Brianna Rodriguez, 16, HOU— Lina Hidalgo (@LinaHidalgoTX) November 8, 2021
“Harris County has released the names of the 8 AstroWorld victims: Mirza Baig, 27, HOU. Rodolfo Peña, 23, Laredo Madison Dubiski, 23, Cypress Franco Patiño, 21, Illinois Jacob Jurinke, 20, Illinois John Hilgert, 14, HOU Axel Acosta Avila, 21, Washington Brianna Rodriguez, 16, HOU”
On Thursday, Bharti Shahani was pronounced dead after succumbing to concert injuries. The 22-year-old was the ninth fatal victim identified.
One of the main criticisms Scott is facing was for not stopping the show, and continuing his performance despite deaths and injuries occurring.
On social media, people are posting other performers in scenarios where an individual has passed out, and the artist stops the show, or points it out to a medical staff.
Scott is being critiqued that he never stopped his show, or pointed out any injuries. However, at a point, he did say “someone passed out right here.” It is also being reported that only two individuals were given authority to stop the performance — the executive producer and event organizer.
Scott made an Instagram video a day after the event to express his reaction.
JUST IN: Travis Scott shares video addressing the tragedy at Astroworld Fest pic.twitter.com/MSjVpJH3fK
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) November 7, 2021
His video was criticized for seeming to not care about the injuries and deaths, as well as for using a black and white filter. His apology would later be used for memes and TikToks.
Security presence for Astroworld was said to be “more than the World Series,” is really telling since the Houston Astros had hosted World Series champions, the Atlanta Braves, a few nights prior. Scott was also in attendance for Game 6 of the World Series.
Forty lawsuits have been filed against the rapper at the time of this writing, with many more expected.
Scott is refunding all the tickets of Astroworld and is covering the expenses of the funerals. He is also offering one month of mental health services, however, that was also met with criticism, since many argued one month would not be enough to get over such a trauma.
On top of the potential trauma, Scott also faces a “cancel culture” that is ready to critique any action he makes.
Even prior the tragic incident, Scott has been met with hate and dislike.
Some may dislike him for his association with the mother of his child, and upcoming second child, Kylie Jenner, where Kardashian hate is prevalent on social media.
There are people within the sneaker community that hate how Scott influenced the price of Nike SB Dunks back to near peak prices from the year 2000s. There are also people that hate him for his Nike collabs that are very difficult to obtain without luck, a bot or a lot of money.
On social media, people have begun to burn his shoes for clout.
Popular video game “Fortnite” removed an emote of Scott in response to the tragedy.
Scott has also cancelled his next scheduled appearance, which would have been “Day N Vegas,” which was set to happen one week after Astroworld.
The tragic events of Astroworld will linger for some time.
Social media has been sharing clips of artists pointing out passing concert goers, security warning people that not following rules will end the show and fans being pushed against guard rails, being rescued.
Scott was set to release his next album “Utopia,” but given the climate, it’s very possible his album will be delayed.
Scott also has Nike collaborations on the way, including a Nike Air Max One on Dec. 16, which may be delayed or even end their partnership.
Nothing is known as of now.
Still, Scott’s fans have also shared on social media how the rapper always speaks highly of his fans and his performances are done with energy and emotion, so that his fans will be entertained and given a lasting memory.
It is possible that an age restriction could be applied to not allow children at festivals anymore.
It is also possible this could be the last Astroworld for the foreseeable future — maybe forever.
Condolences again to all the lives lost, the injured, the traumatized and families of everyone affected.
