Travis Scott, one of the biggest names in the hip-hop industry, has a successful music career, a happy family, and everything a man in his 30s would want. Moreover, fans are expecting a new album in 2023 called Utopia: his fourth studio album so far.
Despite his success and remarkable life, Travis Scott has been the center of attention since last year, when many people suffered injuries at his annual festive concert promoting the release of Astroworld. Unfortunately, that’s not the worst of what happened, according to the lawsuits.
The real problem is that many singers and stars don’t provide adequate safety measures or simply ignore what’s happening at their concerts when people struggle to breathe as crowds form. We’ve already seen what happened in Seoul this Halloween, and the consequences of the lack of safety preparations were more harmful than we’d think. Let’s see what led to the tragedy at the Astroworld concert and what could prevent future unfortunate events.
Astroworld Festival 2021
The Astroworld Festival was supposed to take place in 2020 but was canceled due to Covid-19. Scheduled for the fifth and sixth of November, the first night of the festival ended with a crowd crush. Although many people were expected to attend the concert (around 100,000), only 1,000 security staff and police representatives were present at the location. Although some concerns were raised about this situation, the management chose not to supply an adequate number of staff at the concert, which eventually became a problem.
Travis did not stop the concert when fans became hysterical, he continued singing an hour after the crowd’s condition began to aggravate. Many people condemned him for his lack of urgency, and despite him posting an apology video his actions are still unjustifiable.
The company responsible for the concert is known for violating many OSHA guidelines. It has been sued for more severe incidents through the years, so it’s no wonder it wasn’t as reliable as it should’ve been. As a result, the uncontrollable crowds became violent and aggressive as Travis encouraged them to become wild. In many of his old tweets, he would say things like, “It’s not a show until someone pass out!” which would incite riots at his concerts or promote crowds to form and rush to the stage. Although this behavior is unacceptable, his fan base doesn’t seem to mind these actions.
The Aftermath of the Incident
The second night of the concert was canceled, and it was revealed that more than 500 people were injured; ten victims were confirmed dead as a result of compressive asphyxiation. To make matters worse, the rapper requested that some of the lawsuits be dismissed so they could not be brought to court again.
Despite the facts and the $750 million lawsuit, Scott’s attorney stated that he is not legally liable since he was not aware of the incident while performing. The lack of communication between the festival’s management team and the responders and the inadequate personnel training likely caused the deadly incident, but that does not make Travis less responsible.
All victims had the right to file for lawsuits, and although the singer has offered to pay for the victims’ funerals and other mental health services for those traumatized by the incident, it’s still not enough. Since the management owed the duty of care to the participants, they were accountable for whatever happened to the people present. According to https://www.legalexpert.co.uk/personal-injury-claims people can file compensation claims to get money to cover their injuries.
Encouraging a Culture of Violence
The hip-hop culture was, for a long time, associated with addiction and violence. But as stereotypes were broken and people became more open, things changed, and hip-hop became one of the most respectable music genres. However, promoting a culture of violence only sets the genre up for failure among younger generations.
Rappers like Travis Scott are destroying the entertainment industry and the lives of people attending their concerts. And although the singer was already charged twice for his actions, this doesn’t seem to stop him from appearing in public and building a career. However, inciting riots, violence and vandalism is far from being artistic and meaningful.
What Are the Basic Safety Regulations at Concerts?
During a concert, participants should be reassured that the location is safe and provide basic needs (water and food). But that’s not everything, here’s what else is essential:
- Access and Exit – It’s essential to have everything settled when it comes to how people will access the venue and where the exits are placed so that in case anything happens, crowds can be avoided.
- Noise management – If the noise reaches unhealthy levels, participants can be forever affected. Therefore, event organizers must choose proper sound and vibration technology and products so that no one develops hearing issues.
- Crowd Management – Getting ahold of crowds with millions of people is challenging, but that doesn’t mean proper regulations are not necessary. Understanding crowd psychology and dynamics is the first step to ensuring safety.
- Communication Management – As was the case with Astroworld, there was a prominent issue regarding communication. Managing social traffic at events is crucial for controlling and avoiding potential issues with crowds.
Sadly, most companies only consider the high return of these events. That’s because as pop culture grew exponentially, and more fans were willing to pay more money to see their favorite artists, management teams took advantage of this aspect and sold as many tickets as possible without considering the space available for the event. This is what happened at TanaCon and many other social events held by celebrities and singers; however, we expect less of these situations and more responsibility in the future.
Wrapping up
Travis Scott’s concert should be a wake-up call for management teams and other celebrities to put the fans’ lives above money and consider their health and safety a priority.
