AROUND 50,000 people were at Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in NRG Park in Houston, Texas last Friday night, where the densely packed crowd surged toward a stage, killing at least eight people.
Scott – who has two prior misdemeanour convictions for encouraging fans to jump security barriers and rush the stage at previous concerts – has since addressed the tragedy in an Instagram story, saying he was “devastated” by the situation.
“My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival,” Scott also wrote on Twitter. “Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.”
As investigations continue, two attendees who were injured at the event have filed lawsuits against the rapper and the concert’s organisers, including Live Nation Entertainment.
The first lawsuit was filed by Houston resident Manuel Souza against Scott, Live Nation, individuals affiliated with NRG Park and Scoremore Holdings, along with several other defendants.
According to the lawsuit, Souza was one of the Astroworld attendees who was trampled by the crowd as security barriers were breached by people attempting to enter the music festival during the early hours of the event.
The lawsuit also cited previous violent incidents at Scott’s concerts from 2015 to 2019.
The second lawsuit was filed by Austin resident Kristian Paredes and also names Scott and Live Nation among the defendants.
Notably, rapper Drake, who was a featured guest in Scott’s performance, was also listed, whom the lawsuit alleges came on stage and helped incite the crowd.
In the lawsuit, Paredes said that he was standing at the front of the general admission section near the security barrier before he was trampled by the crowd surge at the start of Scott’s headlining set.
On social media, there have been videos that showed audience members yelling at Scott to stop the show when people were injured, as well as videos of people climbing onto the camera tower to beg for help.
“Many begged security guards hired by Live Nation Entertainment for help, but were ignored,” the filing reads.
Both plaintiffs are seeking a trial by jury and at least US$1 million (RM4.16 million) in damages.
