Congress launches Astroworld investigation

Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images.  

Congress will investigate the Astroworld 2021 tragedy, The Washington Post reports. The investigation will examine the events surrounding the crowd surge that injured hundreds of fans and killed 10 during Travis Scott’s headlining performance.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee sent a four-page letter to Live Nation president and CEO Michael Rapino, requesting information and outlining their invetigation’s scope. The letter is signed by Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), ranking member James Comer (R-KY), and three other members of congress: Al Green (D-TX), Kevin Brady (R-TX), and Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ).

The letter contains a list of demands, to be fulfilled by Live Nation no later than January 7, 2022. Read the list below.

1. Please provide a narrative detailing the roles and responsibilities for Astroworld Festival, including, but not limited to, venue security, crowd control, mass casualty incident planning, emergency communications, and medical care, between Live Nation Entertainment, its subsidiaries, partners, and subcontractors;

2. Describe any pre-show security assessments, planning, and briefings conducted by Live Nation Entertainment or its partners, subsidiaries, or subcontractors, including any details regarding any safety concerns raised prior to the performance;

3. Please provide details regarding Live Nation Entertainment’s actions in response to same-day reports of fans breaking through security barriers;

4. What precise time was Live Nation Entertainment first made aware of casualties on the evening of November 5, and what steps were taken in response to that information;

5. What precise time was Live Nation Entertainment first made aware that law enforcement had declared the event a “mass casualty event,” and what actions did Live Nation Entertainment take between that report and the performance’s termination at approximately 10:10 p.m.;

6. Please share your assessment of the cause of the stampede and whether it could have been prevented;

7. Please address reports that Live Nation has withheld pay from Astroworld employees until they have signed revised employment contracts that release Live Nation from liability; and

8. What steps does Live Nation plan to take to prevent another injury or death at a promoted or held event.