Earlier this month, a Texas grand jury cleared rapper Travis Scott from facing criminal charges for fatalities suffered at the artist’s Astroworld Festival, held November 5, 2021, on the grounds of NRG Park in Houston, Texas. The grand jury also declined to indict festival manager Brent Silberstein.
At that event, 10 concertgoers (including 9-year-old Ezra Blount) were killed and approximately 300 people were injured when a sold-out crowd of 50,000 people surged toward the stage during Scott’s show. Scott continued his performance, reportedly unaware of what was happening—though he stopped several times to ask security to help fans in need of assistance. Hmmm…
My Mix Live Blog from November 19, 2021 discussed some of the warning signs that such a catastrophe might happen, as well as the fact that this is not the first time concertgoers have been injured or lost their lives at a concert with general admission ticketing. No doubt, grieving families are still looking for an answer to the question: “Who is responsible for this?” One thing that’s reasonably evident in such scenarios is that it’s rarely the artist or any one person who holds responsibility—exceptions such as Woodstock ’99 (where the crowd was encouraged to commit violence by an artist) notwithstanding.
The layers of isolation that stand between an artist with national or international stature and their audience are numerous and dense, so while it’s easy to point the finger at the artist when something goes wrong, the truth is that an artist is rarely consulted or involved in any aspect of security (though I have been present at one or two Blue Öyster Cult shows where the band was asked by local authorities to announce to the audience that a show had to be stopped due to hazardous weather conditions). The reality is that some artists are on-site barely longer than the duration of their set, opting instead to swoop in at the last minute and depart before the house lights come on after the show has ended. Many don’t even attend soundcheck, trusting that their crew will have it dialed in for them before they walk out on stage.
The 2021 Astroworld Festival was promoted by Live Nation and ScoreMore, both of which (along with Scott) have denied responsibility for the mishap and whose lawyers have filed motions for dismissal against hundreds of pending civil claims alleging wrongful death, negligence and personal injury. It’s a legal mess that will probably drag on for several more years.
In the meantime, at least in Houston, efforts are being made to prevent similar situations from happening in the future. Last November, a Houston police task force announced a new agreement between local authorities, public safety organizations and concert promoters that will specify the responsibilities of their respective organizations to ensure concert safety. Part of that agreement mandates elevated platforms at such concert sites staffed by Houston police and firefighters, who will have authority to stop an event if they see problems arise. The agreement also clearly defines who has authority to stop a concert or initiate an emergency action plan. It’s definitely a step in the right direction.
