by Greg Wheeler
Who is really to blame?
Few things compare to the horrific sensation of being out of control in a sea of people. Bodies pressed close together, crushing you from all sides, swaying left and right, afraid to fall for fear of being trampled and struggling to breathe.
When you’re in that situation, you can feel the vibe is off. Something is off-kilter and the atmosphere soon changes from one of euphoric bliss to nightmarish horror.
This brings us along neatly to Netflix’s latest set of documentaries, aiming to shine a spotlight on various failings at headline-making events. One of the more prolific in recent years stems from a Travis Scott concert that went horribly wrong, dubbed the Astroworld Tragedy.
On November 5, 2021, Travis Scott stepped on stage to perform his set at Astroworld, a night that quickly turned into a catastrophe that left 10 people dead, including a 9 year old child.
This documentary film dives into the planning of the event, what transpired, and exactly who is to blame for all this. The show stitches together camera footage – from drones, handheld cameras and phones at the show – alongside eye-witness accounts from those in attendance and working that night to explore all facets of this disaster.
The negative impact of the event certainly hasn’t tarnished Travis Scott nor concert promoter Live Nation’s reputation, with both continuing to grow in popularity.
A lot has been said about what Travis Scott may or may not have known, and whether he had the power to stop the show earlier than he eventually did. However, it’s clear that Trainwreck at least levels some of the blame at his feet. I mean, encouraging fans to jump the gates and engaging in “crush culture” (LINK HERE) at previous gigs sets a precedent for the sort of rowdy behaviour you can expect at a show like this.
It would have been nice to have Travis Scott himself featured here, at least giving his own opinion on matters, and perhaps it speaks volumes that no authorities involved in the Astroworld disaster appear in the documentary beyond a few damning text messages or – in Scott’s case at least – previously recorded messages.
It’s clear that both the executive producer and concert producer knew what was going on though at Astroworld, thanks to those aforementioned text messages, but the documentary doesn’t go into enough detail about Live Nation’s past.
In fact, I’d argue the number 1 fault of this documentary is not diving deeper into Live Nation’s business practices and their mismanagement at numerous different shows. Not only are they currently in the midst of a big lawsuit with the DOJ over the way they do business, but their monopolization of the festival scene – not to mention lack of accountability regarding Astroworld – could lead to more tragedies like this occurring in the future.
Regardless of how you feel about Travis Scott and Astroworld, this was a tragedy that could have been easily prevented. A distinct lack of crowd management, mixed with a clusterfuck of event planning and encouraged mob behaviour from Scott himself led to negligence that cost the lives of 10 people. And perhaps the fact that nobody has been held accountable for any of this is just as tragic as anything else.
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- Verdict - 7/10
7/10
7/10
