Astroworld Festival

Travis Scott Books His First Headlining Festival Set Since The Astroworld Disaster

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It looks like Travis Scott’s unofficial exile is finally ending this autumn. Brazilian festival Primavera Sound has released its inaugural 2022 Sao Paulo lineup, which features Travis as its Sunday headliner alongside Australian pop star Lorde. They’ll top a roster that includes Arca, Charli XCX, Father John Misty, Phoebe Bridgers, Caroline Polachek, Japanese Breakfast, Jpegmafia, and Raveena.

Also appearing on the flyer are Arctic Monkeys and Bjork, who will headline the Saturday lineup including Beach House, Interpol, Mitski, Helado Negro, and a slew of Brazilian acts. The São Paulo-based festival is booked for the weekend of November 5-6 at Distrito Anhembi. Tickets go on sale beginning today at noon local time. You can find more information here.

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Primavera Sound

Travis Scott hasn’t performed on a festival stage since his November Astroword Festival, where a crowd crush caused the deaths of 10 people, including a 14-year-old boy. Travis was subsequently removed as the headliner of multiple festivals including Day N Vegas and Coachella, and was sued alongside festival organizers Live Nation by nearly 3,000 victims, which will continue as a single combined case.

Although Travis was removed as an official Coachella performer, he still made appearances at parties nearby and promoted his upcoming album, Utopia, with billboards along the freeway to Indio, California. He’s also launched a project donating to community-based initiatives, although some victims’ families denounced his announcement as a PR stunt.

Travis Scott’s Project HEAL Was Called A ‘PR Stunt’ By The Family Of An Astroworld Victim

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Not everyone was enthused to hear about Travis Scott’s proposed Project HEAL initiative, which the Texas rapper announced earlier this week. Travis donated $5 million to local community-based funds such as HBCU scholarships and mental health programs, as well as the U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Event Safety. However, the family of one of the victims of the Astroworld Festival disaster was unimpressed, calling the move a “PR stunt” that he could later use to make himself look good in court when the combined slew of cases against him goes to trial.

Bernon and Tericia Blount, the grandparents of Ezra Blount, the youngest of the Astroworld attendees who were killed as a result of the crowd crush during Travis’ headlining set at the festival, aren’t convinced Travis is just giving out of the goodness of his heart. Tericia told Rolling Stone, “It’s a PR stunt. He’s pretty much trying to sway the jurors before they’re even assembled. He’s trying to make himself look good, but it doesn’t look that way to someone with our eyes. What we’re seeing is that he’s done wrong, and now he’s trying to be the good guy and trying to give his own verdict on safety.” Bernon agreed, “Every time he does something like this, it’s an ongoing reminder.”

Meanwhile, the lawyer for Ezra’s father Treston Blount, who filed a separate lawsuit from the 9-year-old’s grandparents, believes that Travis’ Project HEAL announcement may have flouted court orders, violating a gag order instated to ensure objectivity from the jury. “Blount and the other plaintiffs herein do not have the high profile ability to sway public opinion as defendant Scott — an international music star — and his sophisticated media team do,” wrote Blount’s lawyer, Robert Hilliard, in an emergency motion to “immediately clarify” whether the gag order “applies equally to lawyers and parties.”

Meanwhile, Travis’ spokesperson, Stephanie Rawlings Blake, called Hilliard’s statement “shameful and beyond cynical,” continuing, “It is also disappointing that Mr. Hilliard would attack Project HEAL, a series of philanthropic gestures designed to give students and young people a leg up. Project HEAL is a continuation of Travis Scott’s longstanding work, including academic scholarships and creative design programs for underprivileged students.” Travis’ lawyers have since filed their own statements defending the star’s right to “make public statements about his ongoing philanthropic work, even as it relates to public safety.”

One Astroworld Victim’s Family Didn’t Appreciate Kanye’s Billie Eilish Apology Demand

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At least one Astroworld Festival victim’s family didn’t appreciate their loved one being used as a prop by Kanye West when the volatile star demanded an apology from Billie Eilish on behalf of Travis Scott, calling Ye’s comments “hurtful” and “ridiculous,” according to Rolling Stone.

Bernon Blount, whose nine-year-old grandson Ezra Blount was the youngest victim of the crowd crush at Astroworld that left nine others dead and hundreds injured, said, “To hear Kanye’s words, that’s hurtful to us. What an idiotic thing to say.” Ezra’s grandmother Tericia Blount also had words for Kanye, saying, “I think it’s just crazy, and I hate to use that word, but I think it’s ridiculous. She’s making sure that she is caring for the patrons at her concert, and I just think that’s crazy of Kanye to even let that demand come out of his mouth.”

Eilish issued the statement for which Kanye demanded an apology at one of her recent shows, stopping performing until a distressed fan received medical attention. Explaining to impatient concert attendees why she wasn’t performing, she said, “We’re taking care of our people. I’m waiting for people to be OK until I keep going.” Reporting on the incident, some outlets interpreted her comment as a dig at Travis Scott, who reportedly continued performing during the crowd crush, at least 30 minutes after authorities declared a mass casualty event.

Kanye, taking his cue from one of those outlets — a gossip Instagram page that simply framed Billie’s statement as a straight-up diss — posted his all-caps apology demand on Instagram, threatening to cancel his upcoming Coachella headlining set otherwise. In response, Eilish commented, “Literally never said a thing about Travis. Was just helping a fan.”

The Blounts appear to be taking Eilish’s side in the disagreement, with Bernon telling Rolling Stone, “That’s crazy that he wants someone to apologize for putting the welfare of someone else before their profits. That’s someone who needed their asthma pump. They could have lost their life, right then. This world is twisted, and we have to stop doing this.” Terecia echoed this sentiment, saying, “I totally commend Billie Eilish for having that decency about her. I think what she did was wonderful, and I would love to tell her myself how brilliant and awesome she is for doing so.”

All Of The Astroworld Lawsuits Have Officially Been Combined Into One Case

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With nearly 400 suits filed against the Astroworld Festival organizers Live Nation and Travis Scott, the Texas Judicial Panel On Multidistrict Litigation has officially agreed to combine the suits into one case under the state’s multidistrict litigation process. Both plaintiffs and defendants wanted to combine the cases for simplicity. The new case will include at least 387 separate lawsuits with almost 2,800 alleged victims, with nearly $3 billion at stake. The suits argue that Live Nation and Travis Scott were negligent in the planning and execution of the festival.

According to Billboard, there was at least one hold-out, Brent Coon & Associates, that “argued in December the process was unnecessary” but fell in line with the rest. The case could also include additional “tag-along cases” that were filed later, with some victims dropping cases during litigation.

Live Nation and Travis Scott were sued in the wake of the Astroworld Festival when eight people were killed and nearly 300 others were injured by a crowd crush during Travis’ first-day closing set. Members of the crowd were suffocated and trampled as Travis reportedly performed for nearly 40 minutes after a mass casualty event had been declared by authorities. Two more victims died from their injuries after the festival, including one as young as 14 years old.

Travis Scott’s Planned Cactus Jack Collaboration With Dior Has Been Postponed ‘Indefinitely’

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In the wake of the tragedy at the Astroworld Festival this past November, Travis Scott, the face of the fest, has come under scrutiny for his role in the deaths of ten people during and following a crowd crush during his headlining set. As a result, a number of his business partnerships have come to an end, including his Cactus Jack seltzer collaboration with Anheuser-Busch, while he’s been dropped from festivals like Coachella in the weeks since. Today, Travis’ brand was dealt another blow, according to Women’s Wear Daily.

In a statement to WWD, luxury fashion house Dior, which had planned a capsule collection collaboration with Travis’ Cactus Jack label, announced that the collaboration has been put on hold for the foreseeable future. “Out of respect for everyone affected by the tragic events at Astroworld, Dior has decided to postpone indefinitely the launch of products from the Cactus Jack collaboration originally intended to be included in its summer 2022 collection,” the statement reads. According to WWD, the collection would have been the brand’s first with a musician, as well as the first time it would allow its logo to be altered. From the looks of things, the brand will likely think twice before signing on for another collaboration, no matter how big the artist’s footprint happens to be.

Until Astroworld, Travis had one of the biggest footprints in music, with partnerships with McDonald’s, Nike, Sony PlayStation, and more elevating a personal brand that was rapidly becoming inescapable. However, with the deaths at Astroworld Fest still fresh in the minds of both businesses and fans, Travis’ immediate future has become uncertain, and a slew of lawsuits could change his fortunes in a hurry.

Congress Is Now Investigating The Astroworld Tragedy

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Travis Scott Under Congress Investigation

A congressional committee has launched an investigation into the promoter of the Astroworld music festival in Houston. During the Astroworld Festival tragedy, ten people were killed due to a massive crowd surge. Astroworld To Be Investigated By Congress The information the congressional committee requested included details about security, crowd control, and mass casualty incident planning. […]