August 10th 2023.
Rapper Travis Scott is set to play the Toyota Center in Houston, most likely as a part of his upcoming Utopia tour. Although he has yet to officially announce any dates or venues, potential dates and venues were leaked in a post that has since been deleted. Scott has played at festivals and had some performances, such as the one in Rome where he was joined by Ye, but this would mark the first U.S. tour for Scott since the 2021 Astroworld Tour.
The Houston Police Department Union President Douglas Griffith was not thrilled with the prospect of Scott playing the Toyota Center. Griffith released a statement to KPRC which reads, in part, “Like most we were in complete disbelief.” He expressed concerns about safety protocols due to Scott's tendency to encourage concertgoers to “rage” at his shows.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner attempted to draw a distinction between the venue of the Toyota Center and that of the parking lot at NRG by playing up the ability of the Toyota Center to be more effectively secure. He released a statement on Aug. 8, affirming the city’s commitment to ensure public safety. The city had commissioned a task force in response to the Astroworld Tour, which led to the creation of new rules such as a unified command station centrally located at similar events.
However, some such as crowd management expert Paul Wertheimer do not feel as the City of Houston has done enough. He stated, “They make more money by ignoring the situation and playing Russian roulette with the lives of young people. And as cynical as that may sound, that’s actually what’s going on.”
Travis Scott has recently settled a third lawsuit from the Astroworld stampede that killed a 14-year-old. Despite the tragedy that took place during the Astroworld Tour, Scott seems to be gearing up for his first U.S. tour since then. The Houston Police Department Union and the City of Houston are doing their best to ensure the safety of concertgoers. However, it's apparent that more needs to be done in order to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future.
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