Concert Safety

The Astroworld Festival tragedy in Houston, in which 10 people were crushed to death and at least 300 injured, has resulted in a renewed focus on concert safety. Investigations are ongoing in Texas and in Congress, including a criminal inquiry by the Houston Police Department with help from the FBI. A task force set up by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is looking at ways to make concerts safer. Nearly 400 victims' lawsuits have been consolidated into a single case, representing 2,800 plaintiffs. More broadly, concert safety has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: A labor shortage has made it harder for events to find qualified security staff, and some concertgoers are more likely to be aggressive or tired of following rules, making management more difficult. Yet experts say crushes can be prevented with planning, communication and safety strategies aimed at monitoring crowd density and having people in authority who can stop a show when needed.