Travis Scott Drops out of Upcoming Music Festival Following Astroworld Tragedy
Travis Scott has reportedly dropped out of his scheduled headlining performance at this weekend's Day N Vegas Festival. The rapper had been scheduled to perform on Saturday, Nov. 13 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on the Frank Stage from 10:45 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. on Saturday night, though he has pulled out following the tragic "mass casualty event" at the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas over the weekend, which left eight people dead.
While Scott is still listed as the headliner for the second night of the event at this time, Variety confirmed Monday morning that Scott will no longer appear at the event, which like Astroworld is a general admission event. The organizers for Day N Vegas have not commented on the report at this time, nor has Scott. The outlet cited sources saying the musician is "too distraught to play." It is unclear if Scott will be replaced with another performer or if the Day N Vegas schedule will be shifted to adjust to his absence. Other performers at the festival include Lil Baby, Doja Cat, Baby Keem, and Roddy Ricch, who has pledged his entire Astroworld earnings to the families of the Astroworld tragedy victims.
Scott was set to take the stage at the festival just a week after the Astroworld tragedy. While an investigation into the incident is ongoing, some details have emerged. The sequence of events began with Scott taking the stage just after 9 p.m. local time. Roughly 32 minutes after his set began, police and firefighters declared a "mass casualty" event at 9:38 p.m. when the crowd surged towards the stage. Several people went into cardiac arrest. Although videos shared to social media appeared to show the crowd asking Scott to stop his show, Scott's set continued through its ending at 10:15 p.m. end time. A total of eight people, ranging in age from 14 to 27, died, 25 people were transported to the hospital, and more than 300 people were seen at a field hospital at the stadium.
"I'm absolutely devastated by what took place last night," Scott said in a statement shared to social media. "My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life. I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need. Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department and NRG Park for their immediate response and support. Love You All."
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said, "this is now a criminal investigation that's going to involve our homicide division as well as narcotics." Variety reported that Scott will provide full refunds for all attendees who bought tickets for the festival. The musician founded the Astroworld music festival in 2018.