During one of his first live shows since the fatal crowd surge tragedy at his 2021 Astroworld festival, Travis Scott paused a concert to address safety concerns.
Scott opened for Meek Mill at Coney Island Walls in Brooklyn on Monday night (July 4). At one point in the outdoor set, some fans climbed up a lighting truss. In this TikTok video, one person is seen dressed as Spider-Man, dangling upside down from a structure by his legs.
As TMZ reports, this prompted Scott to stop the show and tell those who had climbed up the rig to get down. The fans complied and the show continued. In a statement to Pitchfork, a representative for Scott said the rapper was “committed to doing his part to ensure events are as safe as possible”. Watch footage of the incident via TMZ below:
Scott has slowly been returning to the stage since a crowd crush during his headlining set at Astroworld 2021 left 10 people dead and many more injured. His first two performances were at private events – a pre-Oscars party in March and a Coachella afterparty in April. He gave his first public live performance since the tragedy in May, appearing at the E11even nightclub in Miami. Later that month, he performed at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards.
Earlier this month, Scott returned to E11even for another performance, with a third planned for July 23. Next month, Scott will perform headline shows at the O2 in London. In November, he will headline Primavera Sound’s inaugural Brazil, Chile and Argentina editions.
Scott was supposed to headline Day N Vegas 2022 in September, but the festival was cancelled earlier this month. Organisers cited “a combination of logistics, timing and production” issues for the cancellation.
As he begins making a return to the public eye, however, Scott continues to face multiple lawsuits relating to the events of Astroworld. That includes a wrongful death suit against the rapper and promoters Live Nation filed in May by a woman who alleges that she “trampled and crush” during the crowd surge, “resulting in horrific injuries and ultimately the death of her… unborn child”.
In May, Scott was also sued for allegedly encouraging a stampede during his Rolling Loud Miami appearance in 2019. In the complaint, Scott is accused of “verbally and physically [inciting] the crowd to engage in a mosh pit and other hazardous activities”.
Scott, who said during an interview in December that he had “a responsibility to figure out a solution” following the events of Astroworld, announced an initiative called Project HEAL in March. Initiatives funded through the project include academic scholarships, mental health resources, a creative design centre and finding “tech-driven solutions for event safety”.
