Travis Scott will perform in Houston in October, his first show there since the Astroworld tragedy in 2021, leaving the Houston Police Officers’ Union in ‘complete disbelief’ over the news.
After the Houston mayor’s office confirmed Tuesday that Travis Scott would be performing in the city in October for the first time since the Astroworld tragedy in 2021, the Houston Police Officers’ Union wasted no time releasing a statement expressing dismay at the news.
The rapper will perform two shows at Houston’s Toyota Center in October and November. This is a “different type of venue” from Astroworld’s NRG Park, said Mary Benton, Mayor Sylvester Turner’s communications director, in a statement.
“Toyota Center representatives convened meetings with public safety officials and the City’s special events office,” explains Benton. “They will continue working together to ensure this concert’s safety, not unlike the thousands of concerts held at Toyota Center each year.”
“Like most, we were in complete disbelief that anyone would approve of Travis Scott or the production company having another concert,” counters Houston Police Officers’ Union President Douglas Griffith in a statement. “Just two weeks ago, we were asking for prayers and healing for the families of the Astroworld tragedy, and then we are once against opening those wounds (by) announcing another concert.”
“We believe that it is unreasonable to allow this concert to go forward and call upon elected officials to stand up and say, not in our city, not again!” said Griffith.
Interestingly, neither show was listed on Toyota Center’s events calendar as of Wednesday evening.
The announcement comes just over a month since Scott was found not criminally liable for the deaths of ten people from the crowd crush incident during his 2021 show. A grand jury found insufficient evidence to criminally charge Scott or others connected to the concert with a role in the deaths at Astroworld.