It’s been nearly six months now since the evening of November 5, 2021, when a crowd crush event began at the Travis Scott-fronted Astroworld festival in Houston, Texas. Ten people died, and several hundred were injured, after the crowd began surging near the beginning of Scott’s set at the festival; culpability for the tragedy will likely be worked out in the court system over the next several years (several lawsuits are pending), but the deaths will almost certainly cast a pall over both the live music industry, and Scott’s career in particular, for years to come.
All of which has to be, understandably, factored into reactions to news tonight that Scott has now lined up his first public festival gigs since the Astroworld tragedy. This is per Pitchfork, which reports that the “Sicko Mode” rapper will be headlining three upcoming Primavera Sound festivals in South America near the end of the year: São Paulo, Brazil on November 6; Buenos Aires, Argentina on November 12; and Santiago, Chile on November 13.
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The news comes after a few reports that Scott has performed at private events in recent months; he’s also set to host, but not perform at, a night club gig next month in Miami. He also released a new track (his first major public release since Astroworld) last week, a joint production with Future and Southside.
Scott has made relatively few public statements in the aftermath of Astroworld; he posted an apology statement on Instagram in the immediate aftermath of the event, and later gave a longer interview to Charlamagne Tha God in which he reiterated statements that he was unaware of the deaths at the concert until after he came off the stage; he also claimed the media was trying to make him the face of the tragedy (including, presumably, by highlighting past incidents in which Scott was found culpable for inciting unsafe behavior at his concerts).
There’s no word yet whether the Primavera Sound shows (or Scott’s camp) are taking steps to ensure that attendees at these upcoming dates are safe.
