It’s been two years since multiple people died and hundreds were injured during Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival. Now, the rapper is facing a deposition.
According to the Associated Press, Scott participated in a deposition in Houston that lasted around eight hours, people with knowledge about the litigation said. The deposition is in connection to the hundreds of lawsuits filed against him for the deadly festival.
During the catastrophic event, which included 50,000 fans in attendance at the NRG Stadium in Houston, 10 festivalgoers were killed, ranging from ages 9 to 27. Those killed had suffered compression asphyxia due to the crowd surge, which has been compared to feeling like being crushed by a car.
There are currently 1,500 active cases against Scott and the festival’s promoter Live Nation. Over 900 of those cases claimed physical injury at the event, while 313 cited “emotional distress, pain, suffering and mental anguish.” The first trial from the lawsuits is slated to take place nearly two and a half years after the festival on May 6, 2024.
Ted Anastasiou, a spokesperson for Scott, called his deposition “typical legal procedure” in a statement.
“What is not typical is how the media continues to focus on him despite being cleared of any wrongdoing by extensive government investigations, including by the Houston Police Department,” Anastasiou said. “Travis is fully cooperating with the legal process while still remaining committed to his tour in support of his record-breaking album, ‘Utopia,’ and his charitable efforts to support at-risk communities.”
In June, a grand jury declined to indict Scott, as well as five other people, on criminal counts following an investigation by the Houston Police Department. Then, in July, a 1,300-page investigative report was made public by the police department, where festival workers noted problems and had warned of the potential deadly consequences.
Scott said during a police interview two days after the concert that he did see one person near the stage that needed medical attention, though he said the crowd overall seemed to be enjoying the show, the Associated Press reports. This is a stark contrast from viral videos, however, that showed dead concertgoers being carried on top of the crowd while Scott continued to perform. Some festivalgoers even jumped on the stage, begging photographers and festival organizers to help call-off the event.
Here’s another angle of Seanna Faith & a concertgoer shouting “THERE’S SOMEONE DEAD!” & “STOP THE SHOW!” at the camera man filming Travis Scott’s Astroworld performance. He refused to do anything & kept filming the Astrofest show. #astroworldfestival #AstroWorld #ASTROWORLDFest pic.twitter.com/tijRRy3EA3
— Βƌβƌβơ⊔⟟ℓℓ⋲ (@WulfMunkey) November 6, 2021
Footage captured at Astroworld in Houston during Travis Scott’s concert shows Travis @trvisXX singing directly over a lifeless body that’s being carried away by a medic crew while he continued performing. #ASTROFEST #ASTROWORLDFest #astroworldfestival #AstroWorld #TravisScott pic.twitter.com/p8wTmk0Rzi
— Βƌβƌβơ⊔⟟ℓℓ⋲ (@WulfMunkey) November 6, 2021
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Following the festival, Scott released a statement, noting that he’s “absolutely devastated by what took place,” noting that he is “committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.”
Despite the Astroworld tragedy, Scott is slated to head out on his “Circus Maximus” tour this year in support of his new record, Utopia. The tour is set to make stops across North America from October through the end of the year. This is his first tour since Astroworld, and conveniently, the trek does not stop in Houston.
