Introduction
The annual Astroworld music festival, organized by Travis Scott and LiveNation, was held in Houston, TX on November 5, 2021. What was supposed to be a two-day festival was cut short after a wave of concertgoers rushed towards the stage and trampled hundreds, some fatally, during Scott’s performance on the first night of the festival.
Sadly, there are 10 casualties between the ages of 9 and 27 years old. There were also more than 100 people injured when Travis Scott came on to perform. Now you are probably asking yourself, how did anyone allow this to happen?
What Happened During the Festival
The Astroworld Festival was completely sold out, but fans still continued to raid the concert. There were about 50,000 individuals who attended the concert, which was well over the limit of capacity.
You can clearly see in the video that there was no sense of real security taking place, which resulted in people getting trampled. The video was taken hours before Travis Scott performed.
Thirty minutes before Travis Scott’s performance, a countdown appeared on the screen to let the attendees know the show was going to start soon. This was the start of the fans flooding towards the pit area to get their spots.
Travis Scott surprised his fan’s with rapper Drake during his opening act. This caused more fans to rush to the pit area and cause mosh pits all around. Mosh pits are when people jump and dance around each other to cause a “pit” effect. The pit effects can make you feel like you cannot breathe because of all the people around you.
The mob rushing to the pit area resulted in people having no ability to move and feeling like they were being crushed. From being pushed around, slammed into people, having no air to breathe, and the heat, a lot of the attendees just fainted in the middle of the crowd.
In the video above, you can see how densely packed the concert was. It was to the point where attendees were trying to help strangers who felt like they were fighting for their lives. Even as attendees continuously shouted to stop the show, Travis Scott never did so.
Even in this video, where people were telling employees of the concert that someone needs help, they did nothing.
Could the OPTU System be used here?
The OPTU System can be applied everywhere at any time. Let’s start when the countdown clock starts. If you observe your surroundings around you, you will already start to notice there are way too many people at the concert.
You may want to start thinking to yourself about how condense the pit can be and, if something was to happen; Can you get yourself out of there?
If you are already in the pit section before the main act is performing, you need to use the first smart concept; Situational Awareness. Situational Awareness is being aware of your surroundings. You may want to ask yourself:
- “Is the pit area becoming too crowded?”
- “Where is the closest security guard in case anything happens?”
- “Do I know the closest exit way if it becomes too crowded?”
Being able to answer these questions is being aware of your surroundings and what is happening around you.
The next smart concept you can use is Communication. It is important to know where the closest security guard is. Should anything happen, one can go to the security guard to let them know. Also, it is important to have a cell phone in case you cannot reach the security guards, so you can call 9-1-1.
Sometimes the situation can be too much for someone and may result in staying all the way in the back of the concert. They may also want to leave, which is okay. The OPTU System will help you determine if you feel safe enough to stay. At the end of the day, it is your decision to stay in the crowd or leave.
Conclusion
Throughout the years, concerts are becoming more chaotic like the Travis Scott/Astroworld concert. This Travis Scott show needlessly resulted in 10 casualties from the chaos. As one can see, the OPTU system can be applied in this situation. From this experience, one has to be aware of what is going around them; practice Situational Awareness.
It is also important to realize the types of communications around you in case of an active emergency. Some types of communication one can find or utilize at a concert are electronic devices, security guards, paramedics, etc.
