Every so often, I post reminders about concert safety here. Usually these reminders come after tragedy and that is the case today. Last night, eight people were crushed to death at the AstroWorld Festival in Houston, Texas. 50,000 people were at the festival hosted and headlined by Travis Scott.
Apparently people jumped barricades and got into the show for free - adding to an already huge crowd. To say nothing of the ongoing pandemic, 50,000 people in a festival-seating type event is just... a lot. So remember, when you go to concerts like this:
1. Maintain your situational awareness. Watch how people around you are acting. You can tell when people start acting agitated or overly aggressive.
2. If you are a petite woman, consider being anywhere other than the barrier. I say this as a petite woman myself. When I was younger, I would go to the front of shows. Now, you will never see me there if we're talking about a massive crowd situation. Smaller people are more easily crushed, trampled, thrown, shoved or assaulted.
3. Listen to your instincts. You have them for a reason. If you start to feel uneasy, get out of dodge.
4. If you notice people acting some kind of way - or you feel a crowd surge coming - calmly work your way to the side. Quickly assess which side of the stage you are closer to and work that way. Don't work backward. Just shift one way or the other a little at a time.
5. Report overly aggressive behavior to event security.
6. No matter what - if you are at an open-air venue, a shed, an area or a club venue, always take note of the closest exit. Make sure you know how to get out in case of emergency. This doesn't have to be a whole big thing. Just take a look around when you and your friends get to a show, make a mental note and then go have fun.
It's really a shame so many people were killed and hurt at the festival last night. Ultimately security is on the police and the promoter, in this case Live Nation.
Some footage of people blasting through event gates:
These guys were at AstroWorld and they talk about having to walk over bodies.
And some tidbits on our friends at Live Nation:
And this is absolutely wild - two concertgoers attempt to stop the show by alerting a camera operator. He did not respond while in the video clip. He was wearing a walkie-talkie. You can hear the girl say "Someone is dead!"
Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 03:51PM 
