Live Nation

The Family Of A 9-Year-Old Trampled At Astroworld Sues Travis Scott

by
Travis Scott First Pitch Houston
Getty Image

Travis Scott and Live Nation have been named as defendants in a slew of lawsuits stemming from the tragedy at Astroworld Festival this past weekend but the latest confirmed suit is among the most saddening. The family of Ezra Blount, a nine-year-old who was trampled during Scott’s headlining set on Friday night, filed a negligence lawsuit against the rapper and Live Nation, according to Rolling Stone.

Ezra was reportedly sitting on his father Treston’s shoulders when the crowd surged toward the stage, crushing Treston to the point he passed out and lost track of his son. The family located Ezra at a nearby hospital after the show listed as a John Doe. According to the suit filed by the family, “He is currently in an induced coma on life support and has severe liver, kidney, and brain damage. To his young, growing body, these injuries will have life-long effects, impairing his quality of life and ability to grow and thrive.” The lawsuit seeks $1 million in damages.

The lawsuit also cites a report that the concert continued long after city officials declared a “mass casualty event” at the concert, a number that was reported as being around 37 minutes. The Blount family’s lawsuit is just one of 20, with that number projected to continue rising as more victims come forward.

Nearly 20 Lawsuits Have Been Filed Against Astroworld, Travis Scott, And Live Nation

by
travis-scott-astroworld-festival-getty-full.jpg
Getty Image

After several people were injured and eight lives were lost during a crowd-control disaster during Travis Scott’s set at this weekend’s Astroworld festival, many of the victims and their families are taking legal action against those deemed responsible. So far, nearly 20 lawsuits have been filed against Scott, the festival, and organizer Live Nation.

As of this week, 19 and counting lawsuits were filed surrounding the Astroworld incident, according to a report from Rolling Stone. One plaintiff is seeking nearly $1 million in damages from the festival and even alleged Drake was partially responsible for helping to “incite the crowd” to an “out of control” level when he took the stage as Scott’s surprise guest. The plaintiff claims they were stationed at the front of the general admission section and were “severely injured” in the “stampede” that happened when Scott took the stage at 9 pm. In a separate lawsuit, another plaintiff claimed they were “trampled, crushed, and lost consciousness” during the crowd surge that night.

Attorney Alex Hilliard is representing several people who are filing lawsuits surrounding the festival, saying he expects to file complaints for over 100 people by the end of this week. “There will be hundreds of plaintiffs by Friday, if not thousands,” Hilliard told Rolling Stone:

“I have one client who gave a stranger CPR for an hour before anybody even got to him. Obviously, by the time medical personnel got there, it was too late. He said, ‘I can heal from a broken arm, but I’ll never heal from this.’ This is such a unique, rare, and unprecedented case. […] We understand at least nine people on site had the ability to shut the concert down and didn’t. This is involuntary corporate manslaughter as far as we’re concerned.”

Following the lawsuits, Drake broke his silence about the tragic event. The rapper said he had been trying to “wrap [his] mind around the “devastating tragedy.” “My heart is broken for the families and friends of those who lost their lives and for anyone who is suffering,” he continued. “I will continue to pray for all of them, and will be of service in any way I can.”

Live Nation Is Launching A Fund To Help Injured Astroworld Attendees With Their Medical Bills

by
astroworld tragedy.
Getty Image

The fallout from the Astroworld Festival incident over the weekend continues to settle as lawsuits emerge, performers respond, and investigations persist. Now, Live Nation and ScoreMore, the producers of the event, are working to ensure that the people affected will have support. The companies announced the establishment of a health fund to help injured Astroworld attendees with medical costs as they cooperate with authorities to determine the appropriate responses to the aftermath of the event, which left eight dead and 300 injured. The statement reads:

We wanted to provide an update on the steps that ScoreMore, Live Nation, and the Astroworld Fest team have been taking. Throughout the weekend, we have been working to provide local authorities with everything they need from us in order to complete their investigation and get everyone the answers they are looking for.
Our staff has met with local authorities to provide information, and we have also provided them with all footage from our CCTV cameras. Loadout of the site and equipment is currently paused to give investigators the time they requested to walk and document the grounds. Full refunds are being offered for all those who purchased tickets.
And most importantly we are working on ways to support attendees, the families of victims, and staff, from providing mental health counseling to setting up a health fund to help with costs for medical expenses.
Our entire team is mourning alongside the community.

Meanwhile, Travis Scott and Live Nation are already the subject of multiple lawsuits stemming from the injuries and deaths at the festival, with both pledging assistance to those affected.

Travis Scott And Drake Are Being Sued Over The Astroworld Festival Deaths

by
travis-scott.jpg
Getty Image

What was supposed to be a joyous event turned into a tragedy over the weekend as eight people died during a crowd surge at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival on Friday, November 5. Now, Scott is facing multiple lawsuits over the event and Drake is a defendant in one of them.

As previously reported, Astroworld attendee Manuel Souza is suing Scott, Live Nation, and organizer ScoreMore. The lawsuit claims the incident was the result of “a motivation for profit at the expense of concertgoers’ health and safety” and the “encouragement of violence.” It also calls the situation a “predictable and preventable tragedy.”

Souza’s attorney, Steve Kherkher of Kherkher Garcia LLP, wrote, “Defendants failed to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner. Instead, they consciously ignored the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers, and, in some cases actively encouraged and fomented dangerous behaviors.”

Furthermore, NME reports that another suit was filed by Texas-based attorney Thomas J. Henry, on behalf of an unnamed Astroworld attendee. Listed as co-defendants are Scott, Drake, Live Nation, and NRG Stadium, and a press release from Henry’s law firm alleges the surge happened when Drake made a surprise appearance on stage.

“There is no excuse for the events that unfolded at NRG stadium on Friday night,” Henry said in a statement. “There is every indication that the performers, organizers, and venue were not only aware of the hectic crowd but also that injuries and potential deaths may have occurred. Still, they decided to put profits over their attendees and allowed the deadly show to go on.”

Beyond that, there’s yet another lawsuit, filed by civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump on behalf of Astroworld attendee Noah Gutierrez, who claims to have offered assistance to crowd members in need in the VIP section.

Crump wrote in a statement, “We are hearing horrific accounts of the terror and helplessness people experienced — the horror of a crushing crowd and the awful trauma of watching people die while trying unsuccessfully to save them. We will be pursuing justice for all our clients who were harmed in this tragic and preventable event.”

The statement also notes that Crump expects to file more lawsuits on behalf of other victims in the coming days, so it appears Scott’s plate is full when it comes to legal trouble.

Travis Scott And Astroworld’s Organizers Receive First Lawsuit Over Festival Tragedy

by
Travis Scott
Getty Image

The tragedy that occurred at Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld Festival has already received its first lawsuit. According to Billboard. Manuel Souza, who was injured in the deadly incident, filed a petition in Harris County District Court on Saturday. Travis himself and Astroworld Festival organizers ScoreMore and Live Nation are named in the suit concerning the occurrence, which left eight dead and hundreds injured. The suit says the tragedy came as a result of “a motivation for profit at the expense of concertgoers’ health and safety” and the “encouragement of violence.”

“Defendants failed to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner,” Souza’s attorney Steve Kherkher wrote in the lawsuit. “Instead, they consciously ignored the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers, and, in some cases actively encouraged and fomented dangerous behaviors.” Souza claims that Travis and festival organizers ignored early warning signs, like attendees who “breached a security gate around the park, stampeded into the premises, and trampled over one another.” He adds that organizers “made the conscious decision to let the show go on, despite the extreme risk of harm to concertgoers that was escalating by the moment.”

“Eventually, due to defendants’ active decision to let the show go on, the scene devolved into a complete melee, resulting in the needless, untimely death of at least 8 people and injuries to scores of others,” Souza’s attorney wrote.

The lawsuit accuses Travis and organizers of both negligence and gross negligence and seeks at least $1 million in damages. Souza’s attorneys also named Travis’ Cactus Jack Records, LLC, and many other individuals and companies that were involved in the event. A restraining order preventing any destruction of evidence was also filed and it could wind up heading for court as soon as Monday.

Live Nation Will Require Vaccinations Or Negative COVID-19 Tests For Their Concerts And Festivals

by
Getty Image

It appears Live Nation is looking to put safety first. The nation’s largest concert promotion company has announced that vaccinations or negative COVID-19 tests will be required for its concerts and festivals. The requirement goes not only for all attendees but also all artists and workers at any future shows that are involved with the company. President and CEO Michael Rapino detailed the announcement in a statement on Friday.

“Vaccines are going to be your ticket back to shows, and as of October 4th we will be following the model we developed for Lollapalooza and requiring this for artists, fans and employees at Live Nation venues and festivals everywhere possible in the US,” Rapino said, according to Rolling Stone.

Live Nation — which is responsible for some of the biggest festivals in the world, including Lollapalooza, Music Midtown, Austin City Limits, and Bonnaroo — previously announced it would allow artists to determine vaccination requirements for its shows. The company is also requiring all employees to be vaccinated by October 4 in order to visit any of their offices, events, or venues.

The announcement comes after AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group), the country’s second-largest concert promotion company, announced it would put the same policy in place for its shows. AEG is responsible for subsidiaries like GoldenVoice, which operates festivals like Coachella, Stagecoach, and upcoming fests like Lovers & Friends and Day N Vegas.

Live Nation To Allow Artists To Choose Vaccination Policy

by

Hip-hop fans might not need the COVID-19 vaccination to go turn up at concerts. Entertainment giant Live Nation has revealed a new policy allowing artists to choose if they require the coronavirus vaccination for entry or not. Live Nation To Allow Artists To Choose Vaccination Policy The artists performing at the venues will be allowed […]

Kanye West Is Reportedly Working On Another ‘Donda’ Listening But Needs To Make It ‘Different’ From The First One

by
Getty Image

While Kanye West has been holed up in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium finishing his album Donda, TMZ reports the extravagant producer may be planning to use the stadium once again for a listening event for the album. However, since he already did that to somewhat mixed reviews (without releasing the album, no less), TMZ’s sources say Kanye is working on ways to make the experience substantially different from that last one at the behest of Live Nation and Creative Artists Agency, which fear they won’t sell as many tickets to a redux.

Options on the table include a new stage or musical arrangement but because Kanye has been so mercurial, often changing critical details of his projects at the last minute — such as mixing his new reunion song with Jay-Z the day of the last Donda listening — no one knows quite what he’ll do. At the previous listening, he walked around the arena floor dressed in an all-crimson outfit wearing a stocking mask as the album played — something many fans both in attendance and online questioned.

Fans also poked fun at the snack menu in the suites, believing (somewhat inaccurately) that Kanye was charging listeners $50 for chicken tenders (it was actually the group price). However, given his living situation at the arena and his new release date for the album, maybe the listening should take a backseat to actually finishing the thing for the time being.

Drake Partners With Live Nation To Open A New Music Venue In Toronto

by
Getty Image

Over the past year, more and more music venues have been forced to close by the ongoing pandemic. However, there will soon be a new one in Toronto, courtesy of hometown hero Drake and Live Nation. Billboard reports that the new venue, History, will open later this year with a capacity of just 2,500.

Drake said in a statement that his passion for playing intimate shows early in his career was the driving sentiment behind the smaller size. “Some of my most memorable shows were playing smaller rooms,” he recalled. “I wanted to take those memories and what I learned to create an incredible experience for both the artists and the fans.”

The club has been in development for three years, and once open, will host around 200 events a year. History is just one of many venues that were in planning or construction during the pandemic; while Live Nation has the 5,000-capacity Terminal opening this November in Houston, Billboard lists a number of venues set to open in the future, such as The Factory in St. Louis and the Harry Styles-backed Co-Op Live in Manchester. While many other venues — particularly independently-owned venues — across the nation have been forced to close, others are set to return in 2021. While this creates space for new ventures, it’ll still be some time until the live entertainment industry fully recovers.

Live Nation’s 2022 Show Bookings Are Double What They Were In 2019

by
Getty Image

Live music and entertainment has been necessarily put on hold during the advent of the coronavirus, where close proximity and large crowds are too risky as “super spreader” events to be legally happening. But now that vaccine rollout has begun, the booking behemoth has made it clear that next year, live events and live music will be back in full force. On a call with investors yesterday, May 6, Consequence reports that Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino let concerned parties know that the bookings for 2022 have already doubled the pre-pandemic rate in 2019.

“We are already seeing confirmed major tour dates for 2022 up double digits from the same time pre-pandemic in 2019 for 2020,” Rapino said. “Many of these artists will have multi-year tours, spanning the U.S., Europe and often either Asia or Latin America, setting us up for a strong multi-year growth run. Around the world, people are showing the need to get out and socialize once again which reinforces our expectation that a return to concerts will be the logical progression as vaccines are readily available to everyone who wants to get one.”

Particularly in the US, the interest in tours has skyrocketed due to increased vaccine availability, and Rapino said he expects other markets will react similarly. “This is generally already the case in the U.S. where we are confidently planning our reopenings, particularly for outdoor shows, and we expect many of our other major markets will follow this summer,” Rapino continued.

Finally, he noted that large scale events like festivals are slated to resume this summer.