Astroworld: Major concert tragedies that took place prior to Travis Scott's show
Thousands of music lovers flock to concerts to witness their favorite musicians taking over the stage and belting out their chart-topping bangers. While the music festivals should act as a happy memory for fans, the events sometimes do end up on the wrong note due to unfortunate mishaps and tragedies. Travis Scott’s Astroworld being the most recent one seems to be the prime example of the same.
At least eight people were left dead and 300 were injured as a crowd surge took place near the main stage on day one of Travis Scott’s music festival. Following the tragedy, day two of AstroFest was canceled. The ‘Highest in the Room’ hitmaker later took to Instagram to address the unfortunate incident saying that he was “absolutely devastated” and that he was working with the system to help the families in need. Among the dead at the AstroFest was a 14-year-old kid. There have been many concerts in the past that struck tragedy leaving the fans traumatized. We list down some of the most unfortunate concert tragedies that went down in history.
RELATED ARTICLES
Kylie Jenner slammed for not deleting Astroworld IG stories after stampede leaves 8 dead
Astroworld: Travis Scott defends playing on, says ‘did not understand severity’ of stampede
November 2021: ABBA tribute concert
ABBA dropped their first album in four decades and to celebrate the same, they landed at the ABBA tribute concert in Sweden. However, the event took a wrong turn when an 80-year-old man either jumped or fell down seven floors as the fans waited in a concert hall near Stockholm for the tribute concert. He fell on two people killing him and one other. The band then delayed their promotion in wake of the tragedy.
May 2017: Ariana Grande’s Manchester concert
A homemade bomb was detonated by an Islamist extremist suicide bomber after people were leaving the Manchester Arena following a concert by global pop star Ariana Grande. The unfortunate event that took place on May 22, 2017, left 23 people dead including the attacker, and approximately 1,017 were injured including children.
May 2016: Shooting at rapper TI concert
Atlanta rapper TI was all set to headline a concert at Irving Plaza in New York in May 2016 when a shooting took place leaving one dead and three others injured. The incident took place after an argument between two hip-hop rival gangs escalated into a full-blown tragedy. Apparently, someone from the rap group pulled a gun and began shooting.
November 2015: Bataclan terrorist attack
A series of coordinated terrorist attacks took place at three different places where one of them included the Bataclan theatre in Paris where the metal band Eagles of Death Metal performed to an audience of about 1500 people. A mass shooting took place as the terrorists also took hostages. One group attacked people outside the Stade de France, another at nearby cafes, and the third one at the Bataclan theatre killing a total of 130 people.
August 2011: Indiana State Fair stage collapse
The Indiana State Fair stage collapse in August 2011 is one of the biggest mishaps in the history of an outdoor event. According to multiple reports, seven people lost their lives after strong winds (70 mph) knocked down the metal scaffolding and stage equipment into a packed audience. The event also left 58 people injured. The audience was waiting for the country duo Sugarland to perform when the unfortunate incident took place.
July 2010: Love Parade stampede
A techno dance music festival known as Love Parade made headlines in July 2010 after a stampede led to the death of 21 people also leaving more than 500 people injured. The event that took place in the western German town of Duisburg was reportedly attended by an estimated 1.4 million people. The arena was meant only for 250,000 people. The festival was later canceled permanently.
February 2003: The Station nightclub fire
Another mishap that left music lovers devasted was The Station nightclub fire that left close to 100 people dead in a matter of minutes. A band called Great White was playing their set when the tragedy struck setting the stage's soundproofing foam ablaze. The building quickly caught the fire also leaving more than 200 people injured.
June 2000: Pearl Jam Roskilde Festival stampede
Pearl Jam’s performance at Roskilde Festival in June 2000 proved to be a disaster after nine people reportedly died during a stampede. The iconic band was performing when the unfortunate incident took place. The people who died were trampled during a mosh pit at the venue. Pearl Jam later canceled the rest of their European tour.
May 1977: The Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire
Singer John Davidson was supposed to perform at the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky when a fire broke out taking the lives of 165 people and leaving several others injured. It was reported that close to 3,000 people were present in the building at the time.
December 1969: The Rolling Stones at Altamont
The iconic rock band The Rolling Stones took over the Altamont Speedway in Northern California for a free concert in December 1969. All was good until the event witnessed the deaths of four people among other injuries. According to multiple reports, an individual named Meredith Hunter was knifed to death by a member of the Hell's Angels, who were acting as security at the outdoor event. Three other deaths were accidental i.e. two were caused by a hit-and-run car accident and the other died by LSD-induced drowning in an irrigation canal. Approximately 3,00,000 people attended the free concert that also attracted the likes of Santana, Jefferson Airplane, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young among others.