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Fact check: Post falsely claims Astroworld venue had maximum capacity limit of 20,000 people
The claim: Live Nation scheduled Astroworld at a venue with a maximum capacity of 20,000 people
Travis Scott’s Nov. 5 performance at the Astroworld Festival, which sparked a crowd surge that resulted in eight deaths and hundreds of injuries at NRG Park in Houston, has led to a flurry of falsehoods and baseless conspiracy theories on social media.
Houston officials estimated 50,000 fans attended the festival, which concert organizers said sold out in less than an hour after tickets first went on sale in May.
As authorities continue the criminal investigation into the cause of the surge, some have taken to social media to claim Live Nation Entertainment scheduled a 50,000-person event at venue with a maximum capacity of 20,000 people.
“$2 billion company LiveNation is so happy y’all blaming that incident completely on Travis Scott like they didn’t just schedule a 50k person event at a 20k capacity venue,” reads a Nov. 8 Facebook post that accumulated more than 4,500 shares within a day.
But the post is inaccurate. Officials with the Houston Fire Department said NRG Park could have held more than 200,000 people, but attendance was limited to 50,000 guests.
More: What went wrong at Astroworld? Expert: It took ‘everything going wrong, like dominoes’
The Facebook user who shared the post told USA TODAY via direct message that they heard the claim “on one of the various news coverage pieces from Sunday” but “might’ve heard it wrong.”
“It could’ve been something along the lines of 20k being the largest in person event held on the field,” the user said. “All I know is Live Nation did not prepare for the safest conditions for that large of a crowd.”
NRG’s max capacity is not 20,000
While Live Nation has previously been sued or cited for public safety issues, the company did not schedule Astroworld’s 50,00-person event at a venue that only holds 20,000, as the user claims.
NRG Park’s complex has an arena, convention center and stadium, which has a seating capacity of 72,000. However, Astroworld took place outdoors on NRG Park’s parking lot, and the venue could have safely accommodated thousands of more people based on fire codes, according to Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña.
“There is no occupancy permit for an outdoor event,” Peña said at a news conference on Nov. 6. He added that “just based on math” the venue could have had over 200,000 people if the fire code assembly occupancy formula was applied, but city officials limited attendance to 50,000 guests.
Peña said inspectors ensured exits and entrances remained “open and unobstructed,” and a priority when it comes to large events like Astroworld is making sure crowds are divided by setting up two separate stages.
However, when Scott’s solo set started shortly after 9 p.m., there were no staggering performances taking place on the secondary stage and fans rushed toward the main set after the performance of the preceding act, SZA, ended at 8 p.m., according to news reports.
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Live Nation and ScoreMore Holdings organized the Astroworld Festival, and a number of lawsuits alleging negligence and gross negligence have been filed against the entertainment companies and Scott.
In a Nov. 8 statement to USA TODAY, Live Nation said it will continue to assist local authorities in their ongoing investigation and will “address all legal matters at the appropriate time.”
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told CNN the investigation “will take probably weeks, if not longer.” Autopsies for the eight victims have been completed, but the exact causes of their deaths is pending, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Our rating: False
Based on our research we rate FALSE the claim that Live Nation scheduled Astroworld at a venue with a maximum capacity of 20,000 people. A Houston fire official said there is no occupancy permit for an outdoor event.
Our fact-check sources:
- NRG Park, accessed Nov. 9, Stadium brochure
- NRG Park, accessed Nov. 10, NRG Arena
- NRG Park, accessed Nov. 10, NRG Center
- NRG Park, accessed Nov. 10, NRG Stadium
- Associated Press, Nov. 9, Crowd Surge Wasn’t Mentioned in Astroworld Operational Plan
- USA TODAY, Nov. 6, Astroworld Festival concert promoter has previous safety violations
- Associated Press, Nov. 7, Crowd surge kills at least 8 at Houston music festival
- KPRC 2 Click2Houston via YouTube, Nov. 6, FULL PRESS CONFERENCE: Officials provide update after at least 8 died in crowd surge at Astroworld
- Variety, Nov. 6, How Travis Scott’s $5 Million Solo Stage, Set Time May Have Contributed to Astroworld Festival Deaths
- NBC News, Nov. 8, Some wonder whether stage setup at Astroworld Festival played role in tragedy
- LiveNation, Nov. 8, Tweet
- USA TODAY, Nov. 8, Travis Scott facing lawsuits, out at Day N Vegas after Astroworld tragedy: Here’s what we know
- USA TODAY, Nov. 8, Travis Scott offers ‘full refunds’ to Astroworld attendees, lawsuits filed in tragedy’s aftermath
- CNN, Nov. 9, Houston’s police chief spoke with Travis Scott about safety before a deadly crowd surge left 8 people dead at the Astroworld Festival
- The Houston Chronicle, Nov. 9, Autopsies finished for 8 victims in Astroworld tragedy, but causes of death remain uncertain
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