Had Travis Scott and concert promoters taken the appropriate measures to create a safe environment for fans, lives would not be lost in the tragedy at the Astroworld Festival.

When most think about the word “tragedy,” they often think about a terrible situation that couldn’t be avoidable. However, the events at Astroworld led to at least 10 deaths and countless injuries, which were all completely preventable.

This isn’t the first time a concert hosted by Scott has resulted in injuries. Scott’s fair share of controversies have involved the safety of his fans numerous times.

In 2015, the rapper incited fans to trespass the stage and ignore security, causing Scott to plead guilty for disorderly conduct.

Additionally, Kyle Green became paralyzed after being pushed off a balcony by a crowd during one of Scott’s concerts in 2017.

Although Scott has responded on social media about the loss of the victims from the crowd surge, it is clear he has not learned from his past mistakes and may continue his reckless behavior.

At the same time, Scott isn’t fully responsible for the Astroworld tragedy. While he deserves criticism for promoting dangerous behavior, concert promoters are the ones who have the final say in regards to deciding what’s initially safe or not.

The venue itself was unstable from the very beginning. Careless decisions were made by concert promoters in order to hype up sales.

According to an article by Randall Roberts, “Festival seating offers fans willing to line up early the opportunity for closer views, and the space in which to dance or, at a Travis Scott concert, to mosh.”

“Wertheimer said that a seat might take up 6 square feet of space; a packed event such as Astroworld might only allow for 2 square feet of room per person,”  wrote Roberts.

According to an article on Rolling Stone by James Henke, Festival seating is often encouraged by promoters because more space can be filled in compared to regular seating.

“[Some promoters and hall owners] pointed out that more fans can be squeezed into space normally taken up by chairs and aisles; more tickets can be sold because each is theoretically as good as the next; and, without aisles, fewer ushers are needed,” Henke wrote.

As of Dec. 3, many lawsuits have been filed under the Astroworld incident. One of the most notable is a $2 billion lawsuit by attorney Thomas J. Henry, representing nearly 300 Astroworld victims and survivors. 

While Scott is the main defendant, others such as rapper Drake, Apple Music, Live Nation and NRG Stadium are included in the case as well.

Ultimately, Scott and the concert promoters share the blame for this awful tragedy. For the safety of every attendee, more responsibility needs to be taken at future events.