[Concert. Photo Credit to Pexels]

On June 10th, Netflix premiered a documentary examining the Astroworld Festival performance by Travis Scott and its aftermath.

On November 5th, 2021, Travis Scott, the internationally renowned rapper, took the stage to perform in Houston, Texas. 

As Houston is Scott’s hometown, he aimed to launch the two-day festival to celebrate his deep appreciation for hip-hop culture.

During the first festival day, people in the crowd were compressed into a cramped space, leading to a crowd surge. 

As the surge intensified, attendees in the crowd repeatedly shouted “Stop the show” and “Someone’s dead in there,” pleading Scott to halt the performance so event workers could call for medical help.

However, the performance continued for over 30 minutes, resulting in thousands of casualties, including eight deaths that same day.

A few days following the incident, two more people died from the physical trauma they had sustained at the event. 

Soon after, videos of the chaotic night circulated across multiple social media platforms, drawing global attention.

In response, outraged fans and eyewitnesses expressed their grief and frustration for the victims on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, demanding accountability from Scott and the event organizers. 

On November 6th, Scott issued a public apologized on social media, stating that, “[He wanted] to send out prayers to the [fans] that were lost [the night before]” and that he was “trying to identify the families [of the victims] to help assist them through this tough time.” 

However, fans were dissatisfied with his apology video, feeling it failed to address the severity of the tragedy. 

One TikToker commented on Scott's apology video, stating that “he didn’t [seem to] care at all [about the fans],” and that the apology didn’t seem genuine. 

The widespread criticism kept the public discourse alive long after the tragedy.

In response to continued calls for awareness, Netflix has shone the spotlight on concert safety by airing exclusive interviews of survivors and festival staff, remembering the night of the tragedy through a documentary series. 

Alongside these interviews, the series includes raw footage and expert analysis to reveal the failures in planning and response that led to the tragedy. 

Netflix released the documentary under the title “Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy.”

“Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy” quickly attracted thousands of viewers soon after its release.

The director, Yemi Bamiro, stated, “[His and co-director, Hannah Poulter’s] desire to tell this story stemmed from a very simple question — how can 10 people die at a music festival and no one knows how or why such a catastrophic tragedy happened?” 

They also mentioned that “The objective for [their] film from the very start was to challenge all the misinformation that had become synonymous with Astroworld 2021,” a goal that resonated with audiences.

As a result, many viewers praised the film for shedding light on these critical issues and sustaining the conversation about event safety.

Overall, fans applauded the documentary for playing a crucial role in promoting concert safety.

One viewer commented, “[The documentary did] well to spread [awareness] because it is 2025 and I only found out about this very serious issue this year.” 

As of now, Scott has taken further steps to promote safer events, launching Project HEAL and pledging $5 million to improve concert safety protocols, thus reinforcing the documentary’s message about accountability and systemic change.