CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The fallout continues for rapper Travis Scott after eight people died at his Astroworld festival in Houston, Texas. The rapper is now being sued by the family of a 9-year-old victim who was injured at the festival. Fortnite has also pulled a Travis Scott-themed emote from its item shop, and more than 5,500 people have signed a petition to stop the 30-year-old from performing at next year’s Coachella festival.
As the investigation into what caused a crowd surge takes place, questions about what could have been done differently ahead of the festival, continue to swirl. Houston Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Ruy Lozano says, “When you know you’re going to have this type of crowd that is large that can easily converge onto a stage, it’s better to hold it in a traditional brick-and-mortar venue with compartmentalization going on, no ability for someone who has a ticket in the back of the venue that would be able to make their way to the front of the venue. Those are luxuries you don’t have in an open-air performance. You know, this venue was large, well within industry standards. (But) the concentration was the unpredictable, the known unknown at that point.”
TMZ has obtained documents from NRG Park and Field, where the Astroworld Festival was held, and it shows that the venue has a $26 million insurance policy. The policy provides for $1 million in primary coverage with a $25 million umbrella. With 8 people dead and more than 300 injured, damages could go into the hundreds of millions of dollars in payouts. If the policy does not cover the judgments, then NRG would be responsible for anything above the policy limit.
Our question of the night: should Travis Scott have to play at smaller venues going forward?
This episode’s panel features:
WCCB TV’s Morgan Fogarty
WCCB News @ Ten anchor Drew Bollea
WCCB News Edge contributor QCB