House panel launches investigation into Astroworld festival deaths

The House Committee on Oversight and Reform has launched an investigation into the organizer of the Astroworld music festival and the events that led to the deaths of 10 attendees.

In a letter sent Wednesday to the CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, the committee asked for information on who was responsible for venue security, crowd control, mass casualty incident planning, emergency communications and medical care.

The committee also requested information on pre-show planning, a timeline of events the night of Nov. 5, an assessment of whether the stampede could have been prevented and what steps Live Nation is taking to prevent a similar occurrence at future events.

In its letter, the committee questioned why first responders were notified of a “mass casualty event” by 9:38 p.m. but the show wasn’t stopped until 10:10 p.m.

“Recent reports raise serious concerns about whether your company took adequate steps to ensure the safety of the 50,000 concertgoers who attended Astroworld Festival,” the committee said in its letter.  

“For instance, reports indicate that security and medical staff were inexperienced or ill-equipped to deal with mass injuries.  Some attendees stated that the placement of barricades made it difficult to escape.  Experts have stated that Astroworld Festival organizers failed to heed warning signs.” 

The tragedy at Astroworld Festival follows a long line of other tragic events and safety violations involving Live Nation.

Live Nation has been fined or sued numerous times over safety issues at previous events, including other incidents involving surging fans or stampedes.

— Oversight Committee (@OversightDems) December 22, 2021

“We are deeply saddened by the deaths that occurred at Astroworld Festival and are committed to investigating what went wrong to inform possible reforms that could prevent future tragedies,” the letter said. 

The committee also requested a briefing with Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino on Jan. 12 regarding “safety practices, including those relating to Astroworld Festival and other events organized by your company.”

Ten people, between the ages of nine and 27, were killed and hundreds injured in a stampede while rapper Travis Scott was performing at his Astroworld music festival in Houston last month. 

Concert-goers and the families of those killed have filed hundreds of lawsuits against Scott and event organizers, alleging the defendants didn’t take the necessary steps to prevent the stampede and didn’t immediately stop Scott’s performance though they knew there was a problem in the crowd.

In an interview with media personality Charlamagne tha God, Scott said he was initially clueless about the extent of what was happening.

“I have a responsibility to figure out what happened here. I have a responsibility to figure out the solution,” Scott told Charlamagne tha God. “Hopefully this takes a first step for us as artists, having more insight about what’s going on.”

Live Nation has until Jan. 7 to send the requested information to the committee.

“We are assisting local authorities in their investigation and will of course share information with the Committee as well,” LiveNation said in a statement to The Hill. “Safety is core to live events and Live Nation engages in detailed security planning in coordination with local stakeholders including law enforcement, fire and EMT professionals. 

“We are heartbroken by the events at Astroworld and our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of the victims.”

This story was updated at 5:41 p.m.