Travis Scott’s Astroworld Tragedy Prompts Questions About His Past Show Performances
The aftermath following the death of eight festival-goers at Travis Scott’s third annual Astroworld the night of Nov. 5 in Houston, Texas is still unfolding as authorities continue to unveil facts of the case, including the possibility of foul play.
The Grammy Award-winning “Sicko Mode” rapper has since been vigilant in making amends. Along with a video apology via Instagram Live, Scott plans to pay for the funerals of the eight fans, refund all ticket holders, and is working with the online therapy company BetterHelp, as well the National Alliance on Mental Illness, to provide mental health care to all involved with the festival. He has even canceled his upcoming headlining set at this week's hip hop festival, Day N' Vegas, according to Variety.
“I’m honestly just devastated, and I could never imagine anything like this happening,” Scott said on the social media platform. “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 on Twitter.
Despite his remorse and defense from Kylie Jenner, who asserts he “wasn't aware of any deaths” until the news broke after the concert, Scott is still under fire.
Fans accused the rapper and festival producers of negligence, festival-goer Kristian Paredes, 23, is suing both Scott and Drake for over a million dollars on claims of inciting the crowd and a man paralyzed at a concert in 2017 has come out to say the rapper “never learned his lesson”.
Even worse, on Nov. 8, the Houston Police Department released a statement confirming the Chief of Police met with Scott and warned him of public safety concerns regarding Astroworld Fest ahead of the event.
Come to find out, Scott, 30, has a history of inciting mayhem at his concerts and has pleaded guilty twice to disorderly and reckless conduct charges. Additionally, footage and past tweets have resurfaced over the past couple of days showing the rapper’s support of the kinds of acts that took place over the weekend.
As the fate of the Houston star hangs in the balance, here’s a deep dive into the previous incidents and the language the rapper has used in the past that has provoked questions about his past show performances.
Hot 97's Summer Jam in New York City — 2015
In May of 2015, Travis found himself apologizing after throwing a cameraman off the stage at Hot 97's Summer Jam.
“This is my introduction to Travis Scott so his antics and apathy don’t surprise me,” one Twitter user wrote in the resurfaced video.
Openair Frauenfeld Festival in Switzerland — 2015
That same year, in July 2015 while performing a set at Openair Frauenfeld Festival in Switzerland, Scott can be seen instructing the crowd to beat up a fan who allegedly attempted to steal one of his shoes while crowd surfing.
“Get that m*****f****r” and “F**k him up!” he says in the video. Scott also appears to spit on him.
Lollapalooza in Chicago — 2015
A month later Scott was back at it, this time inciting thousands of festival-goers at Lollapalooza in Chicago to bum rush the stage, chanting “we want rage”. The rapper also told the crowd: “Let's go. Come over. I want chaos.”
Scott initially fled the scene but was later taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct.
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Terminal 5 in New York City — 2017
A fan named Kyle Green was paralyzed after falling from a balcony during Scott’s concert in 2017 at the famed Terminal 5 in New York.
Green, who is now permanently in a wheelchair, cracked several vertebrae when he was forced over the edge due to riled-up and rambunctious fans.
While Green was edged off, several others voluntarily leaped. "Don't be scared, they'll catch you," Scott reportedly says in a now-deleted video capturing the concert.
Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers, Arkansas — 2017
In 2017, Scott reportedly encouraged fans to go past security and rush the stage at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers, Arkansas, which resulted in three misdemeanor charges of inciting a riot, disorderly conduct, and endangering the welfare of a minor.
Scott would go on to plead guilty to disorderly conduct and paid more than $6,000 to two people injured during the event.
Despite the incident, Travis stated days later, in a since-deleted tweet: “We still sneaking the wild ones in,” as tickets for AstroWorld went on sale.
