Travis Scott

An investigation into the tragedy that occurred at Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld Festival is underway as there are questions many want answers to. One of those includes whether or not Travis was aware of the lifeless bodies and overall chaos that occurred in the crowd during the showcase. Thanks to videos that were posted on social media, many believe that he failed to react despite seeing what was happening in the audience. However, according to a new report from the Houston Chronicle, Live Nation, the promoter behind Astroworld, was aware of the matter and took steps to shut down the show.

The Houston Chronicle says police officials said Live Nation allegedly agreed to end the show shortly after multiple people collapsed around 9:38 PM local time. City officials said the show officially ended at 10:10 PM local time, however, those in the audience said that Travis completed his set and finished at around 10:15 PM. It’s unknown if the call to end the show was communicated to Travis and he chose the ignore it and continue performing.

The report arrived as Kylie Jenner, Travis’ partner, came to his defense after the tragedy. “Travis and I are broken and devastated,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. “My thoughts and prayers are with all who lost their lives, were injured or affected in any way by yesterday’s events.” She added, “And also for Travis who I know cares deeply for his fans and the Houston community, I want to make it clear we weren’t aware of any fatalities until the news came out after the show, and in no world would have continued filming or performing.”

Travis and festival organizers behind Astroworld received their first lawsuit over the tragedy on Saturday. An attendee who was hurt at the show is suing for negligence and gross negligence and is seeking at least $1 million in damages.

On Saturday morning, the music world woke up to the shocking news that eight people had been killed and hundreds had been injured at Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld Festival. The tragic incident is believed to be the result of cramped conditions in the crowd, though an investigation is still underway. Travis issued a response on his social media pages on Saturday, writing, “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival.” Later that day, he shared another message about the matter on his Instagram Story.

“I just want to send out prayers to the ones that was lost last night,” he said in a video. “We’re actually working right now to identify the families, so we can help assist them through this tough time. My fans really mean the world to me. I always just really want to leave them with a positive experience.”

He added, “Anytime I could make out, you know, anything that’s going on, you know I stop the show and, you know, help them get the help they need. I could just never imagine the severity of the situation.” Travis also promised to work with the Houston Police Department to “try to get to the bottom of this.” He also asked those in attendance to contact local authorities with any information, concluding, “I’m honestly just devastated. I could never imagine anything like this happening… Love you all.”

The music world woke up to horrifying news about Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld Festival. During the rapper’s solo set on Friday, which closed out the first night of the two-day showcase, chaos broke out within the crowd. A number of concertgoers were trampled and soon found it hard to breathe due to the suffocating atmosphere. At the end of the night, it was revealed that eight people died and hundreds of people were injured as a result of the incident. A number of attendees took to social media to share their thoughts. And now Travis Scott himself has issued a statement on the matter.

“I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night,” he wrote on Twitter “My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.” He 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 NRG Park for their immediate response and support. Love You All.”

Fire Chief Samuel Peña spoke to reporters late Friday night and went into detail about what happened. “The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage, and that caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries,” he said. “People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic.” He said that at 9:38 PM local time, the incident was then listed as a “mass causality event” and that medical units on hand were “quickly overwhelmed” by the “scores of people” that were treated for injuries.

In total, 17 people were transported to local hospitals, with 11 being treated for cardiac arrest, and more than 300 people were treated on-site at the festival.

After he was forced to cancel last year’s edition of the festival, Travis Scott and his fans were extremely excited for the return of his trademark Astroworld Festival which he launched back in 2018. However, that excitement quickly turned into tragedy and chaos on the showcase’s first day. Houston’s KHOU and the Associated Press report that at least eight deaths and hundreds of injuries occurred during Travis’ solo set to end the first night of the Astroworld Festival. Fire Chief Samuel Peña spoke about the incident during a press conference after the festival on Friday night.

“The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage, and that caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries,” he said to reporters. “People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic.” He added that around 9:38 PM local time, the incident became a “mass causality event” as medical units on hand were “quickly overwhelmed” by the “scores of people” that were treated for injuries. Peña confirmed 17 people were transported to local hospitals, including 11 who were under cardiac arrest. A 10-year-old was one of the many people hospitalized as a result of the incident at the festival. In total, more than 300 people were treated on-site at Astroworld.

As a result, Astroworld Festival organizers announced that day two of the showcase is canceled. They also released an official statement on the matter early Saturday morning. “Our hearts are with the Astroworld Festival family tonight especially those we lost and their loved ones,” they wrote. “We are focused on supporting local officials however we can. With that in mind the festival will no longer be held on Saturday. As authorities mentioned in their press conference earlier, they are looking into the series of cardiac arrests that took place. If you have any relevant information on this, please reach out to @houstonpolice.” They added, “Thank you to our partners at the Houston Police Department, Fire Department, and NRG Park for their response and support.”

A number of posts from fans show the frantic moments that took place inside the crowd as many were left to give CPR to fellow attendees while screaming for help from security and medics. One post went into great detail about the chaos and suffocating atmosphere that was present in the crowd. Another showed attendees’ desperate but unfortunately unsuccessful attempt to grab a cameraman’s attention and notify them of what was happening within the crowd.

You can view the statement from Fire Chief Samuel Peña and Astroworld Festival organizer above. You can also view tweets from attendees below.