Travis Scott's Statement About The Astroworld Festival Has Fans Seeing Red
What began as a joyous night of music turned to tragedy on the night of November 5 when eight people died and hundreds more were injured at the opening night of Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival at NRG Park in Houston. In the midst of the concert, the packed crowd on the ground suddenly began to push forward toward the stage, crushing one another and sending some audience members into cardiac arrest (via People).
Houston police chief Troy Finner confirmed the next day that one of the security guards at the event was assaulted by an unknown person who injected him in the neck with an as yet unidentified substance that caused him to lose consciousness (via TMZ). It is not yet known whether the attacker targeted anyone else, or whether this incident was the trigger for the audience surge. CNN reports that more than 300 of the 50,000 attendees were treated at a field hospital outside the park.
The following day, Scott took to Twitter to issue an official statement about the horrific event. "I'm absolutely devastated by what took place last night," he tweeted. "My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival."
The artist went on to say that he is offering his support to the Houston police department, and added, "I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need. Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department and NFG Park for their immediate response and support. Love You All."
Some fans say Travis Scott's thoughts and prayers aren't enough
Some of Travis Scott's Twitter followers weren't impressed by his message of support toward the victims of the Astroworld Festival tragedy. One respondent posted a video to Twitter that shows an audience member close to the front of the stage who screams at the crowd, "People are f***ing dying out there." A voice from the stage — purportedly Scott's — says, "Who asked me to stop?" Moments later, the music resumes. The poster wrote, "everyone was yelling to stop and you still continued with the show how can you explain this bro."
Another follower posted a TikTok of a video taken during the festival on Twitter as well. Ambulance lights are visibly seen flashing in the crowd. Scott appears to be pointing in the direction of the lights and asking, "What the f*** is that?" Shortly afterward, however, he urges the audience to raise "two hands to the sky," and the show continues — lights, pyrotechnics, and all.
Some defended the rapper, however, saying that he might not have seen what was happening, and that his earpiece may have kept him from hearing the shouts of the crowd. One fan tweeted in part, "The fact that mfs think Travis Scott is some kinda god who just knows when one person is dead amongst 10s of thousands is literally unfathomable, people pass out at concerts like [this] all time."
Scott's girlfriend Kylie Jenner, who is expecting their second child together, was at the concert as well. She released a statement on Sunday saying that she and Scott are "broken and devastated" by the events (via Washington Post).