Netflix users have branded a new documentary featuring real cellphone footage from the Astroworld disaster as ‘crazy’ and’sickening’.
In November 2021, Houston, Texas, prepared for the third installment of its Astroworld music festival, which drew approximately 50,000 people.
The event, organized by Live Nation and presented by Houston-born rapper Travis Scott, promised to be larger and better than the two previous editions, after the Covid-19 pandemic postponed the show in 2020.
However, what happened turned out to be one of the worst concert catastrophes in US history.
READ MORE: Travis Scott Reportedly Settles His Third Astroworld Tragedy Lawsuit
Disturbing footage emerged hours after the event, showing fans shoving and crashing past the gates at NRG Park as Scott entered the stage.
The stampede resulted in the tragic deaths of ten people aged nine to 27, while more than 300 were treated for injuries.
What does “Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy” reveal?
Netflix has reintroduced the narrative to public consciousness with its new documentary anthology series.
Trainwreck looks at some of the most ‘gripping, strange, and terrifying’ occurrences, such as Woodstock ’99 and the infamous ‘poop cruise,’ as told by those who experienced them firsthand.
Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy was the first to arrive on the streaming platform on June 10, and it delivered some shocking insights.
“I believe Astroworld 2021 was not an accident,” crowd safety expert Scott Davidson states in the documentary. “It was an inevitability due to the lack of foresight and the abandonment of basic safety protocols.”
The clip reveals how thousands broke over safety barriers and doors to get to the performance, while authorities struggled to manage the ‘overwhelming mayhem’.
Survivors described how they struggled to breathe in the buildup to Scott’s entrance, which was compounded when he took the stage and the audience erupted.
“The music started playing, and you just felt your whole body move forward,” explained another victim. “And then the wave comes back.”
READ MORE: After The Astroworld Tragedy, Many Criticize Kylie Jenner’s ‘Tasteless’ Party Theme
The documentary investigates the event’s capacity and inadequate crowd-to-staff ratio, with experts estimating that a maximum of 35,000 tickets should have been sold, but nearly double that number were sold, and countless more slipped through the cracks.
It also highlights the venue’s terrible layout – and, according to reported hacked texts, Live Nation personnel were aware of safety concerns before Scott hit the stage.
The rapper began his act at 9.02 p.m., when a Live Nation employee allegedly texted, “Stage right of main is getting demolished. This is horrible. Pull tons over the rail while unconscious.
“There is panic in people’s eyes. This could go worse rapidly. I would yank the plug, but that is just me. I know they’ll attempt to fight through it, but I’d like it on record that I didn’t want this to continue. Someone’s going to die.
Scott interrupted his show once to indicate that someone in the audience required assistance and then resumed playing, with his set ending 15 to 20 minutes earlier than expected.
He claimed he was oblivious of what was going on in the crowd.
In the days and months that followed, the festival’s organizers were accused of ignoring early warning signs, and some finger-pointing was directed at the artists themselves, notably Scott and rapper Drake.
In the documentary, cellphone film collated from innumerable fans shows individuals tumbling to the ground and being crushed, while others attempted to escape the death trap by scaling equipment and speaker towers.
Others went to camera operators and demanded that they stop shooting, with one man yelling at the operator, “Stop the show!”
Years after the incident, a Houston grand jury found no one criminally accountable for the fatalities in 2023, and all ten claims were settled out of court for unknown sums.
In reaction to the episode, Live Nation issued a statement to Netflix about the allegations, noting that the capacity was determined by SMG Global and the Houston Fire Department and that ‘attendees on site did not exceed allowed capacity.’
“The Festival Safety & Risk Director and HPD representatives agreed to and executed an early show stop,” according to the statement.
A monument for those who perished during the show. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images.)
Taking to Reddit, dozens of fans say the performance gave them ‘chills’ and left them feeling shook to their core.
“I think the documentary was very nicely done. It’s incredible how much cell phone film they have of how crazy the audience grew,” remarked one, who also wondered if the documentary could’stir’ it all up again for organizers and Scott.
“I’m glad survivors and families got to speak but I wanted an investigation on how it went down, looking at all the departments, looking at security and they just kinda wrapped it up quickly,” a another witness said.
A third commented, “I was BLOWN AWAY by the camera footage from the audience at the show. I couldn’t catch my breath while watching, therefore I can’t image living it. People died with no penalties… That is sickening.”
A fourth stated they were left with ‘chills’ after seeing images of a mound of shoes abandoned on the park grounds following the concert.
“It made me cry; what a terrifying situation.” But I think they could have gone into so much more detail and made it a three-part series,” another person commented.
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