At Least 8 Dead at Houston Music Festival After Crowd Surge Causes ‘Panic’
www.nytimes.com
Dozens of other people who attended a Travis Scott concert at the Astroworld music festival were injured, Houston’s fire chief said.

The story is only going to get worse as more information comes out in the next few days.

This is an account from someone who saw people dying and tried to stop the concert, only to be told "gtfo, we're tryna make money here" as people scream for their lives, and drop dead, around her:

https://twitter.com/speedyred711/status/1456913478879432704?t=e3FXNhHrW83rCACeThNQsw&s=19

Here's a vid of her hopping on stage:

https://twitter.com/helowkeyspittin/status/1456893054384844802?t=L9gZT-DcOgw1huq9NizhuQ&s=19

I also present videos I gathered from Twitter. Some of these are NSFW, and include medics giving CPR to people who are passed out and/or dead:

https://twitter.com/LinaHidalgoTX/status/1456884063768301569?t=EywCKtXWqHGDWS8ezxFMLw&s=19

https://twitter.com/helowkeyspittin/status/1456891027130880000?t=PUoHs5_YEC1BogJLGztcAg&s=19

https://twitter.com/redblacc/status/1456919916926361608?t=gZG8dJGaBOYGzYNOyHXItg&s=19

https://twitter.com/ChaudharyParvez/status/1456918853800267776?t=WE4GVH23zimZN81zn0iqXg&s=19

https://twitter.com/LMFireSystems1/status/1456893701834293254?t=rG8HAPUNl93uIVxiLtO5Qg&s=19

https://twitter.com/helowkeyspittin/status/1456895045894803458?t=rj6EbBBkvDHCOa4t8QStbw&s=19

https://twitter.com/mvmo___/status/1456870414530064385?t=iGY1TCjCdUyewVJZPynG9w&s=19

https://twitter.com/cozyboycutz/status/1456888060944203776?t=ZIPpvObRfsA96NLGhWQe1A&s=19

  • Bluegrass_Buddhist [none/use name]
    ·
    3 years ago

    I've never in my life understood the appeal of concerts. Yes, I want to pay half a month's wages to go crowd in the muck with hundreds of people that I don't know and listen to shittier versions of songs that I can get at home for free, at volumes that will give me tinnitus, with the threat of death by trampling and/or mass shooting hanging over the whole affair.

    • cawsby [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Back in the day underground venues were sparsely populated for many genres.

      I remember in the late 1990's going to raves which still had chill out rooms filled with couches. Now you are lucky to find a single open seat anywhere.

      • Bluegrass_Buddhist [none/use name]
        ·
        3 years ago

        Bit too young and a bit too exurbs to have been around for the 90s rave scene, but that does sound like an improvement over the sea of people passed out in a muddy field or crammed together like sardines in an overpacked bar that have been my few concert-going experiences.

    • Pseudoplatanus22 [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Then you haven't been to any good shows. I've never been to a big concert like this, or a festival, but you'd be surprised how good some local bands can be.

        • machinegobrrrr [none/use name]
          ·
          3 years ago

          live music, big or small, is great.

          Is it really "live music" if most of the song is synthetic sounds/samples? Dj basically plays recorded stuff in loud speakers, right?

          • Pseudoplatanus22 [he/him]
            ·
            3 years ago

            Let me ask you this: where else is it socially acceptable to play your music at full volume?

            On top of that, you get to experience it with like-minded individuals. At metal gigs you can launch yourself into complete strangers, but instead of kicking your teeth in they'll laugh and push you back. At a show, you can dance unimpeded; you need not fear looking silly, because no-one is focusing on you; and besides, that's what gigs are for.

    • Shinji_Ikari [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      100 person punk venues are a different beast from outdoor music festivals. Festivals just sound like the worst experience in the world.

    • hwoarang [any]
      ·
      3 years ago

      live music is the only communally transcendent experience I've ever had, it's the best thing in the world.

      • fart [he/him]
        ·
        3 years ago

        exactly lol, 15 other scared indie kids trying not to make eye contact is the vibe for me

    • Tervell [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      shittier versions of songs

      Depends on the concert. I don't actually go to any myself (I think I've been taken to some as a kid by my parents, but I only have vague memories of that), but I've watched/listened to some concert recordings (proper ones, where the band actually has a professional recording setup), specifically of a few jazz fusion bands I like, and the live performances are definitely a different experience. I guess jazz is particularly suited to this as a genre with emphasis on improvisation though, perhaps this wouldn't really apply for all genres.

      And a jazz crowd would probably be too small to crush you.

    • Bernies3trlnKielbasa [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      It helps to have friends to go with who like the same musician.

      It's also possible to go and not be in such a densely packed crowd. I've never had this problem in the lawn sections of outdoor venues, nor in arena/stadium seats, nor in the local shows at dive bars here in Austin.

      • BreadpilledChadwife [they/them]
        ·
        3 years ago

        Lawn section is where it’s at. I have people I love driving in the car for extended periods of time with. We find bands we like that aren’t super big but are just big enough to play venues with lawn seating. So the tickets are nice and cheap. And then we basically go have a picnic while we listen to music. Just make a day of it and get to see all the antics that bands get up to at live shows. Panic at the Disco tickets have gotten steep over the last few albums, but Brendan Urie is consistently such a crazy showman. 21 Pilots is also known for an insane live show. You ever seen a drummer crowdsurf while still playing? Because 21 Pilots used to do that.

    • BreadpilledChadwife [they/them]
      ·
      3 years ago

      It’s probably bougie of me, but my partner and I started following this local funk fusion band who mostly plays park festivals and wineries around here. Real specific niche. All the burned out hippies and their contact high grandkids are in attendance. But because of the venues they’re not super loud and there’s almost always plenty of room. And the band themselves is soooo good. It’s almost all originals and each song has its own character with a great hook and their playing is so tight. I could rant for a while about them.

    • Torenico [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      I went to a single "concert" in my entire life, it was an underground concert in which a few friends of mine played with their band. It was okay-ish.

      I will break that rule if Rammstein ever comes back to Argentina, sure it'll be densely packed and all but these guys always put up a great show. Also it's Rammstein, my favorite band so .

    • LeninWalksTheWorld [any]
      ·
      3 years ago

      probably would help if I actually had friends who enjoyed the same music as me but yeah tbh just give me the high quality studio recording

    • Funkydick [none/use name]
      ·
      3 years ago

      It's about "the energy".

      As I read about it, people in a crowd undergo a phenomenon called "ego loss". What happens is you stop being you and you become part of the crowd, and somehow this is fulfilling to a certain type of human.

      The kind of human who got on top of an ambulance and danced while it was on its way to rescue victims. And then jumped off and launched his heavy 200lb ass into the middle of a crowd. Because it felt good!