Travis Scott Astroworld Security Head Warned Of Overcrowding Before Tragedy, Court Docs Reveal

BYGabriel Bras Nevares1.5K Views
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Travis Scott Astroworld Festival Overcrowd Hip Hop News
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New scrutiny emerged against the 2021 festival, with more alleged evidence of irresponsibility from event organizers.

The Astroworld Festival tragedy of 2021 is one of the most infamous hip-hop history moments of the decade so far, and for good reason. Ten lives were lost, and hundreds more injured, and scrutiny for the event's organization, planning, and execution followed immediately. While Travis Scott himself seems mostly cleared of all wrongdoing, there is still a lot of conversation around his personal responsibility and accountability. But even more important in the civil litigation against the rapper and Live Nation, the concert series organizers, are new reports from AllHipHop and other sources about what could've been prevented.

Furthermore, these new revelations indicate that Astroworld Festival's Safery and Risk Director for 2021, Seyth Boardman, warned organizers about overcrowding before this aspect resulted in the tragedy, according to court documents reportedly obtained by AHH. Specifically, he made these claims days before they planned accommodated 50,000 festival patrons, a number that reportedly rose by 5,000 individuals on the day of Travis Scott's concert series. In addition, these new filings reveal that organizers thought they had to account for five square feet per person due to the fire safety code. In fact, they reportedly had to hold the standard at seven square feet.

Read More: Travis Scott Opens Up About Astroworld Tragedy: “I Always Think About It”

Travis Scott At His CACTI Baseball Park In 2024

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 24: Musician Travis Scott celebrates after throwing the opening pitch prior to a game between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on February 24, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)

As such, this new scrutiny centers around the alleged irresponsibility displayed by Live Nation and Travis Scott by underestimating the space necessary to prevent a crowd surge or overcrowding. What's more is that litigators specifically claim that 50,000 people fit in a space that should've accounted for a crowd of 34,500. Additional claims include a lack of action when it comes to folks entering the festival without a ticket and insufficient monitoring for those who needed help in the crowd. This is such a big element that prosecutors identified security breaches as a principal contributor to the disaster.

Meanwhile, there's still significant legal action from about 4,900 patrons that seek billions of dollars in damages. Drake's legal team still wants the court to remove him from these lawsuits despite performing that night alongside Scott, since he had no knowledge of security concerns or the festival's organization. The Houston MC cooperated with police, and the current focus is on the safety guidelines and event planning that caused this tragedy. For more news and the latest updates on Travis Scott, check back in with HNHH.

Read More: Drake’s Astroworld Deposition Was “Several Hours” Long, Details Have Yet To Surface

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About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.