Travis Scott “absolutely” should have stopped his headlining set at this weekend’s deadly Astroworld Festival, the chief of the Houston Fire Department says.
Speaking with Savannah Guthrie on Tuesday’s edition of Today, fire chief Samuel Peña noted that the investigation into the festival—which left eight people dead—remains “in its infancy” at this time. However, investigative authorities are now starting to get “some picture” on what went wrong.
“It seems as though the crowd began try to push toward the front to get as close to the stage as they could when Mr. Scott’s set began,” Peña said. “What was happening is the barricades that were placed to prevent that surge toward the stage in essence caused other areas of pinch points. As the crowd began to surge and push and compress toward the front, it was those people in the center that began to get crushed.”
And while the Houston Police Department is taking the lead on the investigation, Peña was able to offer additional insight regarding where things currently stand and what his personal take is regarding a performer’s responsibility to crowd safety at events of this nature.
Peña, who previously addressed the Astroworld deaths during a press conference over the weekend, was asked around three minutes into Tuesday’s interview whether he believed Scott “should have called an end to the concert” once he noticed what was happening. As seen in widely shared footage, the “Escape Plan” artist did briefly pause his set at one point, though he quickly resumed performing.
“Look, absolutely,” he responded. “We all have a responsibility. Everybody at that event has a responsibility starting from the artist on down.” After noting that an ambulance had difficulty making its way through the crowd, as well as “evidence that the crowd itself was trying to approach some of their private security,” Peña again mentioned the headliner and festival founder.
“The artist has command of that crowd,” he said. “In my opinion, and this is my opinion right now because everything is gonna be fleshed out throughout this investigation, but certainly the artist—if he notices something that’s going on—he can certainly pause that performance, turn on the lights, and say ‘Hey, we’re not gonna continue until this thing is resolved.’”
Peña also pointed out that, at this time, he’s “not prepared” to say that Scott was “fully aware” of what was transpiring during his performance. See more above.
Ahead of his performance, according to a New York Times source, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner paid a visit to Scott in his trailer to share his concerns over crowd issues. As the joint agency investigation continues, calls have increased for a separate investigation to be launched by an independent authority. Given Houston agencies’ involvement in the festival itself, advocates for audience safety—per the Associated Press—have argued that a review handled by uninvolved parties would send a stronger message to the general public.
In a video shared to social media, Scott said he was “devastated” by the Astroworld deaths, further stating that he could “never imagine” how severe the situation was. He’s since announced plans to cover funeral expenses and refund Astroworld tickets.
