Travis Scott Is Offically Returning To The Festival Stage After The Astroworld Tragedy
It hasn't even been a year since Travis Scott's catastrophic Astroworld Festival, but he's already getting back to business. The rapper was under major fire in November 2021, after 10 people were killed during a crowd crush at his Houston festival and 25 more were hospitalized, with upwards of 300 facing minor injuries. The youngest victim was a 9-year-old boy, who was placed in an induced coma and died about a week later. Scott reportedly didn't see the mayhem, continuing on with the show and not addressing it until a statement the next day. A month later, he followed it up with a disastrous sit-down interview with Charlamagne Tha God.
In the wake of the tragedy, people have pointed the blame at two major parties: Scott himself, who's known for encouraging rowdy behavior at his live shows, as well as Live Nation, the company that organized the event and has a record of cutting corners. As lawsuits are still ongoing, nobody has been charged with anything, but it's safe to say that it was a terrible accident all around that could and should have been prevented.
Some predicted (and hoped) Scott's career would be over after the incident, but that doesn't seem to be the case. After pulling out of the 2022 Coachella lineup, he's making his return to the festival scene in a big way. Depending on how it goes, we might be seeing more of him even before all the litigation clears up — if it ever does.
Travis Scott is headlining Day N Vegas 2022
Rather than starting out small and discreet, Travis Scott is headlining his first festival since the Astroworld tragedy. He has top billing on day three of Day N Vegas 2022, with SZA and J. Cole headlining the first two days. Scott was set to headline Day N Vegas in 2021, but Post Malone replaced him at the last minute as it was on the heels of Astroworld.
Scott's inclusion in the festival's lineup is receiving mixed reactions on social media. His fans are excited to see him back, while others are understandably cautious and skeptical. "Don't go if u wanna live," said one tweet. While this seems harsh, no one knows what a post-Astroworld Travis Scott concert will look like, and people have expressed concerns that it might be too soon for a comeback. In March 2022, the staff of Complex shared their thoughts on what moves Scott should make going forward, agreeing that he should start small, wait at least a year or until his legal problems are sorted out, and "return with a big emphasis on safety."
Meanwhile, Scott's participation in the festival goes against all of their advice: It hasn't been a year, and the legal fall-out surrounding Astroworld is still ongoing. Not to mention, his anything-goes performing style possibly escalated the incident and he'll need to make some changes before concertgoers beyond his biggest fans feel comfortable. Despite Scott's upcoming return, Astroworld is still hanging over his reputation like a dark cloud.