Everything You Need To Know About #ASTROWORLDFest

By Millie Spooner, 07/11/2021

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On Nov 05th, Travis Scott's Astroworld gig at a Texas festival resulted in the confirmed deaths of 8 fans and a record of over 300 injuries.

Fans who attended the annual performance said this year was like no other, with many comparing it to the likes of Hell and pure chaos.

The first wave of panic struck as hundreds of fans broke through the VIP section and trespassed into the event. Fears were already high of an overcrowded capacity, as 50,000 people were estimated to attend.

It was after 9 pm when officials declared a "mass casualty incident" as a stampede of fans surged towards the front of the crowd. This resulted in the toppling of bodies and fans getting crushed, struggling to breathe.

One fan described the tragedy as a "Jenga of bodies", where the victim at the bottom could have up to 8 bodies piled on top of them.

Image from Twitter user @heavyonitbarbie

Multiple fans witnessed bodies laid out on the ground, with many not breathing and turning blue. Fans on social media suspect that the current death rate of 8 is much higher, based on what they saw.

As well as this, there appeared to be a serious drug problem throughout the crowd. Police now confirm that it was a real possibility fans may have been spiked with unknown drugs via a needle.

A security guard was pricked in his neck, whilst dealing with a fight, and lost consciousness shortly afterward.

Multiple fans suffered from seizures in the crowd, with their eyes rolling to the back of their heads and foaming at the mouth. Medics weren't sure of which drug caused this but used Narcan on victims - a drug used for fentanyl overdoses.

Some of the victims have now been identified and named, with many under the age of 18. Brianna Rodriguez, a 16-year-old high school student, was one of those who lost their lives at the festival.

A 10-year-old was hospitalised and is still being treated, suffering serious head injuries after attending Astroworld.

The youngest victim who lost their life was 14-year-old John Hilgert, who was described as the "smartest young man" by the mother of one of his friends.

Videos have surfaced online where fans are begging Travis Scott to stop the show, as well as a woman climbing up a camera tower desperate for help. Despite stopping for a few moments, Travis continued the show after ambulances and police cars entered the crowd.

Kylie Jenner is also receiving backlash as she posted videos from the event on her Instagram story, featuring an ambulance trying to get through the crowd.

This was classed as highly "insensitive", as many in the crowd felt their lives were at stake.

Some survivors of the event have compared the gig to Hell, describing the stage set up as highly unsettling. Signs saying "See Ya On The Other Side" were displayed around the stage, as well as a fan holding up a poster saying "Will we survive?".

A particular video that caught the attention of many was Travis continuing to sing whilst watching a lifeless body be carried out of the crowd.

Nick Johnson, who attended the concert, said "Everyone was passing out around you... but you just couldn't move. You couldn't do anything. You can't even pick your arms up".

Scott has been known to encourage mob-like mentality at his shows, encouraging fans to do dangerous things. In 2017 he egged fans to jump off the balcony at his show, saying "Don't be scared, they're going to catch you" - which resulted in one fan being rushed to hospital and left partially paralyzed.

As well as this, Scott was charged in 2015 for encouraging fans to ignore safety protocols and climb over security barricades to storm the stage at Lollapalooza. Scotts' set only lasted 5 minutes before being shut down and the rapper was charged with disorderly conduct.

The artist even compared his live performances to professional wrestling, saying to GQ in 2015 that "I always want to make it feel like it's the WWF or some shit."

Since the tragedy, Scott has deleted tweets where he wrote "we still sneaking the wild ones in" after tickets sold out in under an hour for the show.

A statement was released the Saturday afterward, where he said he was "absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all of those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival".

Many are calling for his arrest, claiming that Scott should've stopped the show and prioritised his fan's safety. One fan wrote to Twitter, "#ASTROWORLDFest was a nightmare all day and Travis Scott still performed and incited a stampede".

Following this, an EMS report of the event details the main injuries of concert-goers:

• Overdose

• Heat exhaustion

• Alcohol poisoning

• Compressive asphyxiation