Attendees at Travis Scott’s 2021 festival recall what it was like being caught in the deadly crowd surge
Attendees at Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld festival recall how excitement quickly turned into horror in the new trailer for Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy, Netflix’s upcoming documentary about the infamous crowd crush tragedy.
Ten people died at Astroworld 2021 when the enormous crowd surged towards the stage as Scott began his headlining performance. But as the trailer shows, the conditions for what occurred that night were primed well before Scott took the stage.
At the time of Astroworld 2021, Scott was one of the biggest rappers in the world, and Astrowrold was not just a major hometown event for him, but a rare music festival in Houston. That enthusiasm for the festival was apparent once the gates opened and people rushed onto the festival grounds. “They lost all control of the entry points,” one person interviewed for the film says in the clip. “It was just overwhelming chaos.”
Another person spoke about the attitude that pervaded the festival grounds once the event got underway: “You can do whatever you want because you’re in Astroworld.”
As the clip continues, attendees recall the infamous countdown clock that preceded Scott’s performance, before discussing in harrowing detail the terrifying sensation of being caught in the crowd surge. The film will also dig into the aftermath of the tragedy, looking at the civil suits that were filed (some of which remain ongoing), the criminal investigation that was launched (and eventually closed without charges), and the long-term effects on survivors and victims’ families.
Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy was directed by Yemi Bamiro, and it’s set to arrive on Netflix June 10. The film is part of Netflix’s Trainwreck series, which previously covered Woodstock ’99, and has upcoming episodes about American Apparel, the party that allegedly inspired the film Project X, and the 2013 Carnival “poop cruise” incident.
