Travis Scott, Apple, Live Nation sued for $2 bn over Astroworld tragedy

Rapper Travis Scott, Apple and Live Nation were sued for $2 bn by hundreds of people who say they were injured at the deadly Astroworld concert.

Mourners arrive for the funeral of John Hilgert, a concertgoer who died in a stampede during a rapper Travis Scott performance at the Astroworld Festival, in Houston. (REUTERS)

US rapper Travis Scott, Apple and Live Nation Entertainment Inc were sued for $2 billion by hundreds of people who say they were injured when a crowd of 50,000 people was “incited into a frenzy” at the deadly Astroworld concert earlier this month. The complaint filed Thursday in state court in Houston amended an earlier lawsuit brought shortly after the Nov. 5 concert in which 10 people were killed and hundreds injured. The revised complaint increased the number of plaintiffs to 282 people, making it the largest case so far over the event. Lawyer Thomas J. Henry said he was talking to an additional 120 concert attendees about joining his case.

Another suit filed Monday on behalf of 125 concert attendees, including one of those who died, asked for more than $750 million in damages. Live Nation promoted the concert while Apple Music live-streamed the event. NRG Stadium and Canadian rapper and singer Drake were also sued.

‘Cut Corners'

“The defendants stood to make an exorbitant amount of money off of this event, and they still chose to cut corners, cut costs, and put attendees at risk,” Henry said in a statement.

Live Nation, the world's largest concert promoter, could have prevented the carnage if it had prepared properly for an event with a performer known for getting fans riled up, the suit brought by Henry alleged. Scott, a Houston native, pleaded guilty twice before to public disorder charges for encouraging fans to ignore security measures and rush the stage at concerts in Chicago in 2015 and Arkansas in 2017.

“My clients want to ensure the defendants are held responsible for their actions, and they want to send the message to all performers, event organizers, and promoters that what happened at Astroworld cannot happen again,” Henry said.

Nike hits pause button for Travis Scott Air Max 1 launch due to Astroworld tragedy

(ANI): In the wake of the Astroworld Festival tragedy, Nike announced on Monday that it is pausing its collaboration with rapper Travis Scott.

As per People magazine, the popular company would be delaying the release of the Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack shoe "out of respect for everyone impacted by the tragic events at the Astroworld Festival."

The shoes were initially set to drop on December 16. Nike did not provide additional details on the collaboration.

Scott began collaborating with Nike in 2017 with the release of his first Air Force 1 design. In June 2018, he followed up on the AF-1 with his baby blue Cactus Jack Air Jordan 4 with red accents.

Scott's other Nike partnerships over the last few years include the Air Jordan 33, the Air Jordan 1, Air Jordan 6, another pair of Air Forces, and the SB Dunk.

Due to a fatal crowd surge at the Astroworld Festival on November 5, ten people died and more than 300 people were injured. At least 36 lawsuits have been filed against Scott and concert organisers over the incident.

The victims have been identified as Ezra Blount, 9, Jacob Jurinek, 21, John Hilgert, 14, Brianna Rodriguez, 16, Franco Patino, 21, Axel Acosta, 21, Rudy Pena, 23, Madison Dubiski, 23, Danish Baig, 27, and Bharti Shahani, 22.

Following the event, Scott posted a series of videos to his Instagram Story on Saturday, saying he was "horrified" by what happened at his show and pledging to help the victims' families.