Travis Scott says he didn’t know fans were injured during crush that killed 10 people
by 0 US rapper Travis Scott has said he didn’t know fans were injured during the Astroworld crush that killed 10 people.
In his first sit down interview since the music festival surge, Scott told radio star Charlamagne Tha God on his YouTube channel that he had been on an “emotional rollercoaster”.
When asked at what point he thought were fans were injured, Scott said: “It was not until minutes until the press conference (after the show) until I figured out exactly what happened.
“Even after the show you are just hearing things but I did not know the exact details.
“And even at that moment you’re like, ‘wait, what?’ People pass out, things happen at concerts, but something like that…”
Scott and event organisers at centre of police investigation
The events unfolded at Astroworld, a two-day music festival in Houston, Texas, when fans surged toward the stage during a performance by headliner Scott on 5 November.
More than 300 lawsuits have been filed so far in the city. They have now been consolidated and will be handled by one judge as the cases go through the legal system.
Those who have been sued include Scott, who also founded the festival, concert promoter Live Nation and other companies connected to the event.
Lawyer Brent Coon, who is representing about 2,000 concertgoers, is asking for $10bn (£7.5bn) in damages.
Another lawyer Tony Buzbee has said the concert was planned “incredibly poorly” with “no thought given to the safety of the young people”.
Scott’s lawyers have filed documents denying legal liability for the deaths and injuries.
Scott and the event organisers are the focus of a criminal investigation by Houston police.
People were ‘screaming for help’ during Scott’s performance
Nine-year-old Ezra Blount was youngest person to die from injuries suffered during the crush.
The others who died ranged in age from 14 to 27.
Some 300 people were treated at the festival site and 13 were admitted to hospital.
Travis Scott should have stopped his Astroworld show where 10 people died, Houston fire chief says
Charlamagne Tha God asked Scott if he heard the fans who were “collectively screaming for help every time you stopped a song”.
Scott said: “It’s so crazy, any time you can hear that you want to stop the show, you want to make sure fans get the proper attention they need.
“I stopped a couple of times to make sure everyone was ok, I just go off the fans’ energy, I just didn’t hear that.
“At the end of the day you just hear music.”
Talking about the sold-out festival that was attended by 50,000 people, Scott added: “I have been doing this a long time and nothing like this has ever happened…You do these shows for people to have the best experience.”
Families turn down Scott’s offer to pay for funeral costs
The 30-year-old has said he has a “responsibility” to find out what happened at the music festival.
He added: “Fans come to the show to have a good experience and I have a responsibility to figure out what happened here. I have a responsibility to figure out the solution.
“Hopefully this takes a first step for us as artists, having more insight about what’s going on…to make sure this never happens again.”
The interview comes after several families of the 10 people who died from injuries in the crowd surge turned down an offer by Scott to pay for their loved ones’ funeral costs.
