5 Travis Scott Shows That Left Attendees Injured, Dead: From Lollapalooza 2015 to Circus Maximus 2023 Show
Travis Scott Was Arrested at Lollapalooza 2015
Travis Scott has been known for promoting violent and high-octane concerts since he started his career, and one of the earliest concert-related accidents occurred at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago in 2015.
FOX 7 Austin shared footage from the festival in which Scott can be heard yelling, "We want rage" at his audience, leading fans to jump over the barricade used to separate them from the stage. The Chicago police arrested the rapper, while one fan also received charges in the incident.
Office of Emergency Management spokeswoman Melissa Stratton told ABC 7 at that time that the "SICKO MODE" rapper only played one song before shutting down the show as dozens of fans joined him on stage.
"Due to the security's quick response, the situation was remedied immediately, and no fans were injured," the spokeswoman continued. "The performer fled the scene and was taken into custody a short while later."
One Fan Fell Off a Balcony During Scott's Manhattan Concert in 2017
Kyle Green, one of Scott's 2017 concert attendees at Terminal 5 in Manhattan, was injured and paralyzed after the rapper encouraged another attendee to push the victim from a third-floor balcony. A viral video recorded the incident, during which Scott can be seen orchestrating the accident.
While one fan willingly did it, Green was forced over the edge until he fell and sustained injuries, including a broken vertebra.
During a conversation with The New York Post, he recalled how he laid down where he was due to extreme pain until an ambulance finally came and rescued him.
His lawyer, Howard Hershenhorn, told Rolling Stone, "Security picked him up like a sack of potatoes and carried him toward the front. Travis offered him his ring. Then they finally carried him out. Unfortunately, he was paralyzed."
Green sued Scott, the artist's manager, the event's promoter Bowery Presents and a security company as defendants. Although years have passed, the concertgoer remained partially paralyzed still.
He Incited a Riot At a Music Festival in Arkansas in 2017
On May 13, 2017, the "goosebumps" hitmaker held a live performance in Rogers, Ark., after he incident a riot at the show.
According to TMZ, Scott told his fans to bypass security and rush to the stage during the show — which also happened at Lollapalooza 2015. The Arkansas incident left a security guard, a police officer and other attendees with injuries, Rogers Police Department confirmed.
HipHopDX's editor-in-chief Trent Clark told The Associated Press that the rapper's "whole aesthetic is about rebellion."
"The shows have a lot of raging," he noted, adding, "With the death of punk rock, hip-hop has indeed adopted and patterned the new generation of mosh pits. It's not uncommon to see a lot of crowding and raging or complete wild behavior at a Travis Scott show."
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that Scott was booked for disorderly conduct, endangering the welfare of a minor and inciting a riot after his show. He was released without bail a few hours after the arrest.
The Astroworld Festival Tragedy
Scott's 2021 Astroworld Festival tragedy is dubbed as the deadliest American concert since the 2017 mass shooting at a Las Vegas country music festival.
Hundreds of concertgoers were crushed and trampled before and during the rapper's performance at the fatal festival as they aimed to get closer to Scott — who founded the festival and named the event after his 2018 album.
Ten people died due to the crowd rush, while 2,400 people reportedly underwent medical treatment due to the injuries they sustained, per the court filing NBC News obtained. Nearly two years after the incident, a Texas grand jury ruled that the rap superstar would not be indicted for the tragedy.
"While waiting patiently for the district attorney's decision to not file charges, Travis Scott has been inaccurately and wrongly singled out, despite stopping the show three separate times and being unaware of the events as they were unfolding," Scott's lawyer Kent Schaffer told The New York Post.
Meanwhile, the Houston Police Department explained the decision further in a press conference saying that the criminal investigation did not find anyone who was criminally responsible for the deaths of the ten young attendees and injuries of thousands of others.
2023 Pepper Spray Incident That Left 60 People Injured
After the ruling in the Astroworld Festival case, Scott sparked fury when his 2023 Utopia Concert at Rome's Circus Maximus caused injuries to at least 60 people.
CNN reported that the chaos started when an attendee diffused pepper spray in the full-packed venue while another 14-year-old fan was injured after falling from a false wall.
In addition, Italy's fire service received hundreds of calls from residents who were concerned an earthquake hit the capital around 10:30 p.m. on August 7.
Director of the head of the Colosseum Archeological Park Alfonsina Russo, urged performers and artists to stop performing at the venue as it is a monument and not a stadium or a concert hall.
"These mega rock concerts put it at risk, including the Palatine Hill nearby," she continued. "Rock concerts should be held in stadiums so as not to endanger public safety."