The Astroworld Atrocity

Martine Joseph, Staff Writer|December 3, 2021

It is no surprise that concerts, festivals, and raves have been happening for years. So just like any year after its creation in 2018, except in 2020, the Astroworld Festival took place. With its speculated 100,000 tickets selling out in mere minutes, fans were excited to see their favorite headlining artists like Young Thug, Drake, SZA, Lil Baby, Earth, Wind & Fire, Master P, 21 Savage, and the greatly anticipated Travis Scott.

It started like any other festival day. People take photos in front of signs, meet up with their friends, and get in line to have the best view possible. However, that is when things began to go haywire. Hundreds of Travis Scott fans who did not have tickets began to break into the venue, and in a posted video, they were seen trampling over those who fell under the chaos. This should have been the first indication to increase security.

Throughout the festival, things were relatively OK. With an acceptable amount of pushing, it began to worsen 30 minutes before Scott took the stage. Madeline Eskins, an ICU nurse who was at the festival, told CNN, “All of a sudden, people come pressed up against each other, pushed forward and backward. As the timer got closer,” Eskins said, “it got worse and worse.” Eskins added, “I had constant pressure on my chest … I was being squeezed … Right when he started performing his first song, I looked at my boyfriend and said, ‘We have to get out of here.’”

With 100,000 people in one spot, Eskins recalled that it felt like all 100,000 people were trying to reach the front of the stage. To reach Scott. Those who were taller could withstand the pressure and heat. However, those who were shorter were being engulfed by the crowd.

The question is: Was anyone able to escape?
And the answer to that is: No.

Eskins, the ICU nurse, mentioned earlier recalls her body being crowd-surfed to safety. According to the Associated Press, some concertgoers said that barricades near the stage meant to divide different types of ticket holders, keeping them from escaping. One of the attendees, Billy Nasser, said that the VIP area near the stage had a closed door. The barricades were keeping the attendees confined in one space, unable to move truly.

Scott reportedly stopped his show two times after seeing multiple attendees being taken out of the venue; however, some believe this was not enough. There have been videos circulating the internet of fans shouting in unison for Scott to “Stop the show.” We asked Janessa Monchery, a writer for The Blue and White, her opinion on this matter, “If you’re yelling something in unison with thousands of other people, he’s going to hear it. So everyone saying he didn’t hear is stupid and it’s just a cape for a mediocre artist who’s blatantly incompetent.”

Could this atrocity be avoided? The simple answer is yes. However, because of the carelessness of the venue organizers, the security team, selfish concertgoers, and Travis Scott himself, ten lives were lost, and hundreds, even thousands of individuals must live with the trauma that was Astroworld.