[ad_1]
Travis Scott opened up in his first interview about the “emotional roller coaster” in the wake of the Astroworld festival last month that saw 10 people die in a massive onslaught on his show in Houston.
The 30-year-old rapper spoke in a 51-minute interview with radio and television personality Charlamagne Tha God, published on Thursday, about his reaction to the tragedy and his responsibility for it.
“It really hurts,” said Scott. “It hurts the community, it hurts the city. It was just a lot of thoughts, a lot of feelings, a lot of sadness and I was just trying to wrap my head around it.
“I really just want to be there. I wish you could just hold them all, talk to them, have conversations. “
Scott said he didn’t know until after the concert that people had died, others hospitalized and hundreds injured during his one-hour set on November 5 at NRG Park.
“It didn’t really take minutes to the press conference to figure out exactly what happened,” he said. “Even after the show you only hear things, but I didn’t know the exact details.
“I don’t know. People pass out, something happens at concerts, but what?”
He was then asked why the concert lasted 40 minutes after officials declared it a mass accident event.
“They told me, ‘As soon as the guests take the stage, we’ll end the show.’ And that’s what we did. Otherwise there was no communication, ”said Scott.
Scott then said he wasn’t told to stop the show.
He said he did not hear anyone call for help during the performance. Video recordings showed him briefly interrupting the concert several times.
“Every time you hear something like this, you want to quit the show,” he said. “I stopped it a couple of times to make sure everything was okay. What you see and what you are told can only help.
Scott, the promoter Live Nation, Apple Music, and others are facing hundreds of lawsuits arising from the show. Last month, lawsuits valued at more than $ 750 million were filed on behalf of at least 125 victims, and nearly 200 people filed 93 lawsuits through civil rights attorney Ben Crump that targeted both Scott and Live Nation, according to Crump . The $ 750 million lawsuit lists Scott, rapper Drake who joined Scott halfway through the concert, Apple Music who streamed the festival, and others as defendants.
In the interview he was asked if he was responsible for what happened.
“It is my responsibility to find out what happened here,” he said. “It is my responsibility to find the solution. And hopefully this is a first step for us as artists – a better insight into what is going on. “
Scott’s legal team moved Monday to dismiss several lawsuits against him. The lawsuits have been consolidated and will be held by a judge following an order issued Tuesday by the Judges Committee of the Civil Litigation Department of the Harris County District Courts in Houston, The Associated Press said.
Scott’s attorneys claim he has no legal liability, and sources close to Scott previously told NBC News that he was unaware of the deadly crush in the crowd during the performance.
Scott was also asked who was ultimately responsible for what happened.
“I don’t want to speak too soon, I just want to find out what happened,” he said. “As artists, we just leave this to the pros to make sure the fans are having a good time, people are protected, go and have the best experience ever.”
Scott has been cited in the past for his rowdy behavior at his concerts. He was arrested in 2015 and pleaded guilty to reckless behavior after a concert in Chicago where police said he encouraged the crowd to rush on stage and ignore security. He also pleaded guilty to misconduct in 2017 after being arrested on suspicion of inciting a riot at a concert in Arkansas.
Charlamagne Tha God asked if the “angry” high energy culture at his concerts contributed to the Houston incident.
“No, I think it’s something I’ve been working on for a while, just to have this experience,” said Scott. “As artists, we trust that professionals make sure that people are safe when something happens.
“And that night was like a normal show, it felt like it to me in terms of energy. The people didn’t show up there just to be harmful. People just showed up to have a good time and something unfortunate happened and I think we really just have to find out what that was. “
Scott has offered to pay the funeral expenses of those who died on the show, which some of the families have declined.
“Everything is understandable,” he said of the rejections. “In the time they are grieving and trying to find understanding, they want answers. I just have to keep showing up for that.”
He was asked what he would say to the grieving families.
“I’ll tell them I’m always here,” he said. “I’m in there with you and I love you and I will always be there to help you heal that.
“It’s not just a momentary thing, it’s an eternal thing. These people who came to the show are my family. I’ve always had this connection with people who have listened to music or come to my shows.”
“I want everyone to just keep praying for the lost fans,” he continued. “I want to keep praying for the families.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
[ad_2]
Source link
