Astroworld Tragedy That Killed 10 Concertgoers Now Under Oversight Committee Investigation

Last month's Astroworld Festival tragedy in Houston, which left 10 concertgoers dead, is now under investigation by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Representative Carolyn Maloney, the chair of the committee, and Representative James Comer, the committee's ranking member, announced on Wednesday that they would lead a bipartisan investigation into Live Nation's role in the disaster.

Live Nation Entertainment was the event promoter for Astroworld, reportedly responsible for planning, staffing and communicating with local agencies for the music festival.

In a letter sent to Michael Rapino, Live Nation's president and CEO, committee members requested information regarding the November 5 incident, including security plans and the company's response in the hours following the announcement from law enforcement that declared rapper Travis Scott's concert a "mass casualty event."

"Recent reports raise serious concerns about whether your company took adequate steps to ensure the safety of the 50,000 concertgoers who attended Astroworld Festival," the committee wrote.

In a statement shared with Newsweek, Live Nation said it would cooperate with the committee in its investigation and will provide the information requested.

"We are assisting local authorities in their investigation and will of course share information with the Committee as well," the company said. "Safety is core to live events and Live Nation engages in detailed security planning in coordination with local stakeholders including law enforcement, fire and EMT professionals. We are heartbroken by the events at Astroworld and our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of the victims."

In the days following the event, Houston's police chief named Live Nation as being directly responsible for securing the mosh pits located in front of the stage.

On Wednesday, the oversight committee also pointed to inexperienced medical staff who were "ill-equipped to deal with mass injuries," as well as the placement of barricades which made it difficult for concert attendees to leave.

"Experts have stated that Astroworld Festival organizers failed to heed warning signs," committee members said.

The committee is demanding the information be handed over by January 7 and requesting that Live Nation brief them on January 12.

Last month, ten people died and hundreds injured when a 50,000-person crowd rushed the stage during Scott's performance at NRG Park, resulting in a human crush. The victims ranged in age from 9 to 27 years old.

Last week, a Houston medical examiner confirmed that the concertgoers who died were suffocated to death by the crowd.

Several lawsuits were filed by the families of victims in the weeks following the event. The suits named Scott, guest performer Drake and Live Nation as defendants. Scott has denied the allegations against him.

Committee members said the deadly concert followed "a long line of other tragic events and safety violations involving Live Nation," pointing to previous lawsuits the company has faced over safety issues at events it has promoted.

"We are deeply saddened by the deaths that occurred at Astroworld Festival and are committed to investigating what went wrong to inform possible reforms that could prevent future tragedies," the oversight committee wrote.

Update 12/22/21, 2:51 p.m.: This story was updated to include comment from Live Nation.