“I consider Astroworld 2021 was not an accident,” crowd security skilled Scott Davidson says throughout the brand new Netflix documentary Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy. “It was an inevitability as a result of lack of foresight and the abandonment of primary security protocols.” Davidson’s skilled breakdown is just one of many insights the documentary gives into what occurred on November fifth, 2021, when Travis Scott’s headlining Astroworld Competition efficiency in Houston, Texas led to the deaths of 10 folks.
The newest movie within the Trainwreck collection (which has additionally explored Woodstock ’99 and the notorious “poop cruise”) begins by taking a second to remind the viewer about the place we as a tradition had been in 2021 — simply beginning to re-enter the world post-lockdown. It’s that power that amplifies the thrill round Scott’s efficiency that day, an power that introduced a various group of individuals to the occasion. A lot of whom discovered themselves combating to outlive because of the large crowds in attendance.
Watching Trainwreck actually offers you an appreciation of how troublesome it’s to handle giant crowds of individuals safely — an necessary accountability, given the lives in danger from compression asphyxia. Lives like these of concertgoers Rodolfo Peña and Brianna Rodriguez, whose family members are interviewed within the documentary, their grief palpable over their loss. Under are the largest revelations from the documentary, which is a tragic watch, however a robust one.
50,000 Tickets Have been Bought… for a Venue that May Safely Host 35,000
In line with Davidson, Reside Nation reportedly bought 50,000 tickets to Astroworld — with out confirming whether or not 50,000 folks would have the ability to safely attend the live performance. Within the aftermath, consultants discovered that in actuality, the house solely had viewing capability for 35,000. “Which might imply they deliberate for a lot of hundreds extra folks than might safely view Travis’ efficiency.” The documentary features a textual content message from a competition organizer despatched on October twenty sixth: “I really feel like there isn’t a manner we’re going to match 50k in entrance of that stage. Particularly with all of the bushes!”
A Safety Failure Early within the Day Made Issues Worse
Early into Trainwreck, the documentary illustrates one huge situation: Whereas the solar was nonetheless shining that day, an untold variety of concert-goers overran the safety checkpoints on the venue — there’s ample footage of individuals knocking over fences and metallic detectors of their pleasure to get inside, starting at 9:00 a.m. in line with the Houston Chronicle. So, not solely was the live performance allegedly over capability simply primarily based on ticket gross sales, there have been in the end an unknown variety of folks on the grounds past that tally.
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Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy (Netflix)
The Venue Format Was an Challenge
With assistance from on-screen diagrams, Trainwreck reveals that attendees entered the viewers space from the aspect of the stage, right into a T-shaped barrier system. “This was purported to make the stage safer, however as a substitute its configuration created a lure on the left-hand aspect of the stage [where people were entering]. So the compression simply constructed and constructed [and] folks couldn’t escape,” Davidson says.
Moreover, the primary stage was solely reserved for Scott’s efficiency that evening, which meant that hundreds of concertgoers entered the sector on the identical time.
Organizers Knew This May Be Lethal Minutes Earlier than Scott’s Efficiency
Travis Scott started enjoying at 9:02 p.m. that night. At 9:00 p.m. a Reside Nation worker despatched the next textual content: “Stage proper of important is getting crushed. That is dangerous. Pull tons over the rail unconscious. There’s panic in folks’s eyes. This might worsen rapidly. I’d pull the plug however that’s simply me. I do know they’ll attempt to battle by means of it however I’d need it on the file that I didn’t advise this to proceed. Somebody’s going to finish up lifeless.”
Once more, this textual content was despatched at 9:00 p.m. Two minutes earlier than the efficiency began. And attendees interviewed for the documentary say that because the present started, they had been already feeling like they couldn’t breathe, because of the best way the gang had amassed.
Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy (Netflix)
