Rappers Travis Scott and Drake are being sued by a festivalgoer after the Astroworld concert left eight dead. A star is the biggest attraction of an event and can trigger a lot of hype among the fans. When this happens, there is a need for a controllable measure to calm down the crowds and instill some sanity into the hyped people.
Travis and Drake were performing at the Astroworld concert and were regarded as headliners of the show. Kristian Paredes (23), from Austin, Texas, is now suing the pair for over a million dollars for allegedly inciting the crowd and unrest among people who had attended the show and wants a trial by jury. Paredes filed a complaint on Sunday outlining these allegations since the concert caused the death of eight people and severely injured others [Source].
The complaint stated that Drake and Travis Scott came on stage and “helped incite the crowd.” Drake was a guest at the show and had managed to amass a lot of people who came to see him performing alongside the Astroworld maker. He “is accusing the rappers, Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation of negligence.” Live Nation Entertainment Inc. was responsible for hiring security at the Astroworld concert. It was dragged into the lawsuit because the guards failed to execute their duties of controlling the crowd and protecting fans who had attended the show. In relation to the fans, the filing states, “many begged security guards by Live Nation Entertainment for help but were ignored” [Source].
According to the filed complaint, after Travis and Drake entered the stage, “the crowd became chaotic, and a stampede began leaving eight dead and dozens including Kristian Paredes severely injured.”
Paredes is represented by a Texas Attorney, Thomas J. Henry, who commented on the issue and said, “There is no excuse for the events that unfolded at NRG Stadium on Friday night.” For Scott, it is gloomy since “he previously pleaded guilty twice to disorderly and reckless conduct charges.”
Paredes accused Drake of completely ignoring what was happening at the event “as the crowd became out of control.” He kept on performing “while the crowd mayhem continued” and enacted more movements since the fans were enjoying his music while riled up [Source]. Paredes was injured and now suing for a million-plus dollars to cover for physical injuries incurred and to pay for his medical bills.
Scott commented on these occurrences at his event and described them as “devastating” because eight people lost their lives, and he could not “imagine anything like this happening.” Reports show that American rappers were convicted twice for urging people to evade security barriers and spring on the stage when artists are performing.
In a narration of what exactly happened, Paredes stated that he was stationed at the front of the general admission section, where he was separated from the VIP section by a metal barrier, and he felt an “immediate push” when Scott was about to perform around 9 pm.
Paredes’s lawsuit states that deaths and injuries at the show should be attributed to “negligence, carelessness, and recklessness of the defendants, their agents, servants, and employees, in the ownership, management, maintenance, operation, supervision, and the control of the subject premises.”
Attorney Henry said, “There is every indication that the performers, organizers, and venue were not only aware of the hectic crowd but also that injuries and potential deaths may have occurred. Still, they decided to put profits over their attendees and allowed the deadly show to go on”. He further explained that “Live musical performances are meant to inspire catharsis, not a tragedy. Many of these concert-goers have been looking forward to this event for months, and they deserve a safe environment in which to have fun and enjoy the evening. Instead, their night was one of fear, injury, and death.”
ICU nurse and concert attendee Madeline Eskins told Rolling stone that “Fans were recording the concert and people doing CPR. Fans were yelling at the stage crews around us, saying stop the concert, people are dying. No one listened”. She added that “It was definitely crowded. It was insane, honestly. I knew it was just way too crowded – it just got worse and worse as I got closer to Travis Scott performing it got more crowded, more crowded, more crowded”. She blamed the inexperience of some medical practitioners for performing CPR.
A dark cloud of such nature seems to follow Travis Scoot since he had similar incidents at Lollapalooza in Chicago in 2015 and an outdoor venue in Arkansas in 2017. This should be a wake-up call for him to change his conduct at live shows and protect the fans who are willing to attend his shows despite these misfortunes.
