On November 4th a concert festival named for a popular amusement park turned tragic when a massive audience crush resulted in the death of eight people, and injuries to dozens more. Now, the first of what will likely be several lawsuits, have been filed against the organizers, and one of the headliners, Drake, has broken his silence on the event.
It's only been a few days since the events at the Astroworld festival and while it's potentially difficult for anybody to say anything, as the major names of the festival, it becomes necessary for Drake and Travis Scott to say something.
Drake Speaks Out
In his post on Instagram Drake himself laments the fact that a social media post isn’t really the right avenue to make such statements, but he sends his thoughts and prayers to those impacted by this tragedy. He also promises to do whatever he can in the aftermath and be of service to those he can help.
On the one hand, it might seem easier to say nothing. There are no words Drake can say that will make this situation better. At the same time, people are going to want to hear from him. His statement that he will be of service is more than just offering words. He's offering help.
Astroworld Lawsuits Filed By Survivors
Drake and Travis Scott are both being sued by 23-year-old Kristian Paredes, as well as Manuel Souza, both attendees at the Astroworld festival who were among the injured. The suits claim that Drake and Scott incited the crowd into the frenzy that took place and that they should have known their actions could cause injuries. According to one of the lawsuits, the surge of fans began when Drake came on stage alongside Travis Scott.
There will almost certainly be more lawsuits to follow these. The families of the eight people who died, who ranged in age from 14 to 27, are likely planning their own legal responses to the tragedy. Travis Scott has already promised to pay all funeral expenses for the eight victims..
According to The Guardian, a criminal investigation has also been launched by police in Houston. Although it’s unclear at this point if this just a matter of form or if there any specific suspicions this could be a criminal matter. There was a meeting between concert organizers and local police regarding safety but it’s unknown what was discussed.
The History of Astroworld
The show took place at the NRG Arena in Houston, Texas, which sits in what used to be the parking lot of Six Flags Astroworld, an amusement park that Travis Scott grew up loving. He started the music festival in 2018 and also named one of his albums after the park.
And the festival was certainly meant as a way to bring an element of the old Astroworld park back. By hosting a music festival there was an attempt to entertain a lot of people for a long period of time, just like an amusement park.
Now, one has to assume that the Astroworld music festival has gone the way of the Astroworld theme park. It seems unlikely that the event will ever be held again following this tragic event.
