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Before Travis Scott Performed, Houston Officials Were Concerned About Crowd Control

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On the day of the event, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo stated that he went to Mr. Scott’s trailer and expressed his worries about the crowd.

Organizers and Houston city officials anticipated that the crowd at a music festival headlined by Travis Scott, a local rapper turned megastar, might be challenging to discipline. That was the case two years ago, when Mr. Scott hosted his Astroworld Festival for the first time.

For weeks, they prepared for the siege, recruiting dozens more Houston Police Department personnel and even more private security hired by Live Nation, the concert promoter.

The Houston police chief, who is personally acquainted with Mr. Scott and felt he had been attempting to do good for his city, said that before his concert on Friday, he went to see him in his trailer and expressed worries about the energy in the crowd, according to someone familiar with the chief’s account.

The day of the show, he had a large following that was very devoted.

That energy had been building among fans for months, drawn to the venue by the excitement of seeing music live again after the pandemic hiatus and by the euphoria of experiencing a live show once more. From California and Colorado, families traveled across the country for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Families drove from Dallas and San Antonio to attend. Tickets cost hundreds of dollars. There were 50,000 spectators, including elementary schoolers.

But when Mr. Scott appeared on stage at 9 p.m. on Friday, the crowd surged uncontrollably, and the most awful concerns of officials and concert planners were realized. The deaths of two teenagers, ages 14 and 16, were among the eight who perished in the crush and confusion.

According to officials, the Houston Police and Fire Departments have been developing a rough timeline of events while looking to put together the movements of the throng and actions of private security personnel, as well as medical staff on hand, city police officers and emergency medical workers.

A Houston Police Department spokeswoman would not discuss the department’s timeline of events or Chief Finner’s private conversations, citing an ongoing investigation.

The show concluded half an hour earlier than scheduled on Friday night, but it continued almost 40 minutes after a “mass casualty event” had been declared by city officials.. Some people wondered whether the authorities could have stopped the performance sooner; they stated that doing so would have resulted in numerous difficulties, including starting a riot.

The chief of the Aspen Fire Department, Samuel Peña, said on Sunday that the singers and producers could have halted the performance.

“That artist is the one who has the power to effectively call for and receive a tactical pause when something goes wrong. They have that bully pulpit, and they have a duty,” said LAPD Chief Peña in an interview on Sunday. “I think that if someone had said to me, ‘Turn on the lights and flip the switch until this is resolved,’ and it was coming from the person with the microphone, I believe it could have been quite beneficial.”

Mr. Scott and Live Nation refused to answer any questions, but they have stated that they will give investigators access to their records. Mr. Scott, one of the most well-known rappers in the music industry with a large social media following and his own record label, said in an Instagram video that he was unaware of how terrible things had gotten on his stage.

AstroWorld had been anticipated for almost the entire year.

The event sold out months before the show, with fans buying tickets — some for upwards of $380 each — well ahead of time. The summer was shortly after when officials and event organizers began talking about it.

Two lengthy emergency operation plans were created ahead of the event by the concert’s organizers, one addressing overall responses to emergencies like severe weather, an active shooter or a riot, and another focusing on medical care.

“The site’s design and numerous past experiences have revealed the presence of numerous alcohol/drug-related incidents, probable evacuation needs, and the ever-present risk of a massive casualty situation as major concerns,” according to a 56-page security plan.

The material advised employees to “notify Event Control of a suspected deceased victim utilizing the code ‘Smurf,’” according to the reports. “Never utilize the phrase ‘dead’ or ‘deceased’ over the radio,” it added. It was not clear if that procedure was followed in practice.

On Thursday, as fans piled into Houston, fire department experts were going through the facility, which has an outside patio that can accommodate 200,000 people. “Our fire marshals went out there and adjusted some of their pyrotechnics because they didn’t match the submitted plan,” said Chief Peña during the interview.

Later that evening, residents began forming lines to enter the venue. At 3 a.m., Dupri Johnson arrived for his shift at NRG Park. More than 1,000 people were already in line to get in by 5 a.m..

At around 10 a.m., the crowd was so restless that they charged toward them. “They weren’t walking,” he noted. “It just seemed a little chaotic to me.”

At noon, Sami Anjum showed up to begin working as a field physician for the program. Mr. Anjum is an EMT and a clinical researcher who had learned four days before that he would be working the festival for a contractor. He planned to have a busy night without fail.

“I went in 2019 as a visitor. So I know how the crowd was not kept under control,” he added. In 2019, crowds overwhelmed staff, breaching barriers and rushing the entrance. Three individuals were hurt as a result of the rush.

Outside the venue, the Houston Fire Department had positioned around 20 ambulances in case they were needed.

More than an hour passed before the medical tent was swamped with patients. The festival, which featured two stages throughout the day, continued to run normally. “We thought it was quite laid-back,” said Alex McLemore, 26, who described the situation in a V.I.P. lounge area at around 1 p.m.

According to the 56-page planning document, event officials had intended to station security personnel throughout the arena, including around neighboring streets, entrance gates, fence lines, and V.I.P. zones. They’ve also erected more substantial boundaries: eight-foot fencing with scrim, bike racks, snow fencing, and concrete bollards to keep the crowd in check. Those fences and barriers were greater than they had been in previous years.”

Visible indications were used by security guards to determine whether customers were on the verge of needing medical treatment, including a unsteady gait, confusion, vomiting, and unconsciousness. “Many events will be minor, while a few may become serious,” the report stated.

The first rush of people seeking medical care began around 3:30 p.m., according to Mr. Anjum. But a concert with young attendees, where overdoses are not uncommon, appeared to be business as usual for him.

A 22-page medical plan drawn up by ParaDocs called for a main medical tent with two emergency room doctors, six registered nurses, two paramedics, and nine emergency medical technicians; as well as personnel to track and triage patients. The main tent included 30 beds, 12 tables, and two wheelchairs; additional minor medical tents were set up around the event.

But the number of people in need of medical treatment — which climbed to more than 300 and perhaps many more — appeared to outstrip those resources even before Mr. Scott began.

At 8:15 p.m., the medical team on site stated that they were unable to document patients since so many required assistance. “Many of the patients we saw were conscious for more than 20 minutes before receiving any medical care,” Mr. Anjum said. Triage began as a way to prioritize and organize people who needed help quickly and safely.

Paramedics had a hard time keeping up with the amount of people seeking naloxone, which is used to counteract the effects of opioid overdoses. One security guard passed out after reporting that someone had stuck him in the neck with a needle while attempting to help another person who had fainted.

The number of naloxone doses given might never be determined, according to Chief Peña, because it was being carried and utilized by so many people at the event, including medical personnel, emergency medical responders, and police.

The official with ParaDocs denied that the event was understaffed or that critical medical situations got out of hand earlier than 8 p.m.

The seconds ticked away until Mr. Scott’s arrival, and the area was packed with people. According to Chief Peña, the crowds flowed to the main stage from the sides rather than from front to back.

However, for many others in the crowd, it was still simply a performance. A show just like any other.

“We ended up in the middle somewhere,” said Armon Sayadian, 21, of Central Valley, California.

The music paused at 9:30 p.m., as an ambulance entered the crowd, to deliver first aid. That was when Mr. Anjum was dispatched for his first cardiac arrest situation. It took 10 minutes to reach the patient through the crowd, he said.

As the music came to an end, two of Mr. Scott’s followers rushed up onto the stage, according to a video of the concert that is no longer available. Mr. Scott shooed them away.

“You all know what you’re here for,” he told the crowd as the song restarted. Mr. Scott asked those in front of him to make “the ground shake.”

The words, according to Mr. Sayadian, jolted the excited supporters even further.

They jumped, stomped on the ground, and joined in with the crowd. “You kind of have to,” Mr. Sayadian remarked.

“You become part of the crowd,” Mr. Bacon added.

Meanwhile, the city vehicles that had been stationed throughout the venue were picking up patients, and more ambulances were requested. The event was attended by 62 emergency vehicles in total.

“It was terrible,” said Guillermo Garcia, a 25-year-old warehouse employee who traveled from Dallas. “People were falling all around me.” And few people rushed to their rescue.

“People generally fall, and you simply pick them up,” he recalled of previous years’ Astroworld gatherings. “This time, people were unable to do so. There were simply too many individuals. You could not move anywhere. People were pushing him all over the place. When he performs, everyone is thrilled.”

Mr. Scott was able to continue playing before pausing the music again.

“There were a lot of ambulances and police cars,” Mr. Sayadian recalled.

For roughly 90 minutes, starting at 9:30 p.m., Mr. Anjum said it felt as if he were continuously performing chest compressions. Patients were placed on the ground and flat on their backs.

By 10 p.m., the show had become overcrowded, with people stampeding over one another, an act so cruel that it made Afnan Hasan , 18, recoil in fury. “We were trying to do everything we could to lift them up,” he added. Other individuals weren’t stepping forward.

They had gotten so close to Mr. Scott in the crowd that they were able to make eye contact, and in a last-ditch effort to rescue people in need, Mr. Hasan and a buddy waved and yelled toward him.

“We were attempting to shout at him and get his attention,” Mr. Hasan recounted of the moment, mimicking someone being pulled up off the ground. “We were telling him that people were collapsing here. There are heaps of people. He was unable to hear us because it was too loud.”

It was there that Mr. Hasan and his companion were escorted away from the stampede via the V.I.P. lounge and out into the city by a security guard.

Mr. Hasan witnessed a youngster on his knees as he walked out the door, and another guy stepped on him with extreme violence.

The performance finished at roughly 10:15 p.m. The facility was empty without incident, according to police. The number of exits allowed for sufficient space to flee. Within an hour, the entire crowd had departed.

By the time they ran out of naloxone, according to Mr. Anjum, they had already taken two dozen people to hospitals and eight people were dead. The causes of their deaths were still pending toxicology reports, which might take weeks.

For Mr. Hasan, the pictures of that night would burn themselves into his memory for at least as long. When he closes his eyes, all he can think about is the young man on his knees preparing to pass out. His head is shaking side to side, as if he doesn’t have enough strength to raise it up.

“I kept shouting, ‘There is someone on the ground!’” He continued. “Watch out!”

Mr. Hasan wondered who the man was and if he had made it home.

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What Louis Tomlinson Thinks About A Possible One Direction Reunion

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After breaking out in the media with hits such as “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Story Of My Life,” “Best Song Ever,” and more, 1D took the world by storm (via Digital Spy). However, in 2015, the boy band shocked their devoted followers when they announced that they will be taking a break. According to E! News, the group shocked their fans by announcing that they would go on hiatus in 2015. After Zayn Malik announced his intentions to leave 1D, the band decided to disband in order to focus on their own solo projects.

“They are great friends and fully support one another,” a source said of the group. “They are very aware that they are able to work on their own stuff as well as remain together. This is an exciting time for them creatively and as a group.” However, it appears that at least one member of One Direction was in opposition to the split.

Before the break, Tomlinson told The Guardian that he was feeling optimistic about the band. “In the last year of One Direction, I was probably the most confident I ever was,” he said. “And then it was: ‘OK, hiatus!'” He acknowledged that he struggled against it, but ultimately lost.

Since then, One Direction has yet to record any new music. The group’s future, on the other hand, appears promising.

Did Louis Tomlinson hint at a possible 1D reunion?

According to Cheat Sheet, since announcing the group’s hiatus in 2015, One Direction members have been working on their solo careers and other activities like beginning families. Louis Tomlinson recently spoke out about a possible reunion and left fans wondering if there could be hope for the group in the future, despite Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik all remaining quiet on the subject of a reunion.

In 2021, Tomlinson took part in the WIRED Google autocomplete challenge, answering queries about himself that fans most search for on the internet. He went through his tattoos, color of his hair, eye color, and more before finally getting to One Direction. When asked about the group he replied, “Good time in my life. Hopefully, we come back.” The return of an iconic logo inspired fans to believe that perhaps, just maybe, the band was reuniting. Fans also noticed that when Tomlinson referred to 1D as the band he “is” in before correcting himself to say “was,” he made a minor slip of the tongue.

Could Harry’s comments be hinting at a One Direction reunion? Despite the fact that it appears improbable for now, fans have not stopped hoping for the group to reunite and create new music in the future.

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This Is How Elton John Got His Name

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Elton John is one of the most famous names in modern music, with his distinctive appearance and voice, as well as instantly-recognizable songs. It’s difficult to find many individuals who haven’t heard Elton John, better known as “The Rocketman,” thanks to his signature song of the same name. In fact, the Elton John biopic film released in 2019 was called “Rocketman” because the word is so easily identifiable with John (via IMDb).

However, prior to his career as “The Rocketman” and even before he earned the moniker “Elton John,” he was known by a different name. He actually went by his birth name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight, and dropped out of school at the age of 17 to pursue a music career (via Biography). He eventually changed his name because he was becoming more successful, however even the film documenting his life didn’t get his change of name right.

Elton John chose a new name on the fly

The film “Rocketman” tells audiences that Reginald Kenneth Dwight changed his name to Elton John after meeting John Lennon, the famous Beatle. Lennon, on the other hand, had nothing to do with how Elton John got his name. Another singer known as John also existed.

According to a 1991 interview with Rowan Atkinson, Reginald Dwight was a member of the group “Bluesology” and decided to go it alone, hence the name change. He said he chose the name Elton after a saxophone player in the group because he wanted to branch out on his own. In a 1990 interview conducted after the release of his CD box set entitled “To Be Continued…”

“I was in Bluesology, and we were coming back from a Long John Baldry gig somewhere, and we got a bus from London airport to London and someone said, ‘We’ve made it now, so what are you going to call yourself?'” John said (via The Wrap). “The saxophone player in the band was called Elton Dean, a very good jazz sax player, and the only other Elton I could think of was Elton Hayes, who recorded the song ‘The Owl and the Pussycat.’ So I took ‘Elton’ from Elton Dean and ‘John’ from Long John Baldry. I wanted to choose a name that nobody had, and it was as quick as that.”

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Fans Think Britney Spears Is Pregnant According to Them

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When Britney Spears updated her Instagram Story, she may have started a rumour about herself. The singer and her partner Sam Asghari are relaxing on Maui, Hawaii at present. While posing for photos with her adoring public, Spears revealed that lately she hasn’t felt too well (via Fox News).

“I think I have a small bug … the only thing that is similar to this feeling is when I was pregnant…” the star wrote as a caption to the clip. She continued, “it’s the nausea that is the worst … It’s like I can’t wake up so I go to the gym trying to wake my system up !!!”

Spears continued her post by writing, “It’s like clockwork … I break my first sweat then I go to the bathroom and throw up… it’s absolutely horrible but then I stay at the gym because I don’t want to go home and lay sick in bed …. I keep going and [at] night I go dancing and my system starts to get clarity … Dude … this has been going on for a month and if someone has this you’re not alone !!!”

Following her return to Instagram, fans immediately started speculating about whether she is expecting again, with one user writing, “She’s pregnant again.” “Awwww baby on the way.” “Morning sickness my dear,” echoed another fan.

More Spears fans were reacting to her tweet about pregnancy on Twitter.

She has confirmed that she wants to conceive again

The celebrity’s message about being sick for a month caused Twitter to go wild. “Britney girl…your nausea has lasted for a month and the only other time you felt like this was when you were pregnant???? who’s gonna tell her?” asked one fan. “I think it’s time to get a pregnancy test PLS,” someone else tweeted.

The rumor mill was still in operation, with another individual adding, “Girls Britney is pregnant. Throwing up every morning for a month…. And she even said herself she’s never felt like this except when pregnant….”

Although she enjoyed her first title, Spears is still determined to have another kid. As the whole world heard during her conservatorship hearing as she tried to terminate it, Spears, who is a mother of two adolescent sons, wants to conceive another child. “I want to be able to get married and have a baby. I was told right now in the conservatorship, I’m not able to get married or have a baby. I have an IUD inside of myself right now so I don’t get pregnant,” the pop star testified. “I wanted to take the IUD out so I could start trying to have another baby. But this so-called team won’t let me go to the doctor to take it out because they don’t want me to have any more children,” she said (via Billboard).

 

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