The stampede at Astroworld Festival is definitely one of the top tragic things that happened this year. According to officials, it led to over 300 injuries and 10 deaths resulting from compression asphyxia.
The annual music festival was held on November 5, 2021, by rapper Travis Scott. 50,000 people attended, and at some point in the night, the crowd started surging forward towards the stage. The surge resulted in compressing people in front, making them unable to escape.
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Since the festival, several lawsuits and social media criticism were thrown Scott’s way. However, some celebrities are not in favor of these actions. Cedric the Entertainer, recently disclosed that he was shocked people threw blame at the rapper. In a recent interview, he expressed exactly what he thought about the entire situation.
Cedric The Entertainer Doesn’t Think Scott Is To Blame
In a recent interview with The Domenick Nati Show, Cedric the Entertainer talked about the Astroworld tragedy at length and how fingers were being pointed at the wrong person. The comedian mentioned that he rewatched the videos closely and noted some things.
After looking at the video, he revealed that he didn’t think Scott was responsible for the tragic outcome of the music festival. He said, “I looked at some of the videos and everything. I mean, the police were right there in front of them, and they’re not reacting. That’s their job, [he’s] a performer.”
He further admitted that he was having problems believing that people blamed Scott and were trying to cancel him because he was only there to entertain. “I find it hard to [believe] people trying to cancel Travis. I find it rude that people try to blame him, saying he should have stopped, and he didn’t. For the most part, he’s there to enter. He’s in an entertainment vibe.”
Who Should Be Blamed For The Tragedy?
Two separate videos turned up showing the crowd’s reactions. In one, a girl went up to the man behind the camera and yelled that they stop the show, but she was driven away by the staff. The second video showed a crowd more concerned about partying than helping the injured. They were seen dancing and obstructing the rescue operation.
Netizens pointed out that one video showed that the situation could have been easily controlled, but the authorities chose to ignore it, while the second showed that the crowd was not prepared to have their fun taken away from them.
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Many people blamed Scott because he didn’t stop the show even after noticing that there was a situation. In a third video, the rapper spotted the ambulance and asked the concertgoers to put up their hands if they were okay. Several did, and he went right back to his singing.
Scott’s Reaction
After the festival, many people pointed out a former tweet from Scott in May, saying that “the wild ones” would be snuck in. Asides from videos of the festival, several videos of artists like Adele, Harry Styles, SZA, and others halting their shows to attend to needy fans resurfaced online.
A day after the fiasco, Scott tweeted, “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PS has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.”
Via NBC News, the rapper said that he “could not have imagined the ‘severity of the situation” and if he had known, he would have immediately stopped the show and aided his fans.
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About the accusations, Cedric the Entertainer further said, “I just really don’t like that people try to, in this particular instance, blame him. Never was he up on stage yelling, ‘Let’s fu** ’em up and turn it up and let’s go and let’s get wilder!’ He didn’t incite it. So I really wouldn’t like him to take the blame for that.”
Cedric the Entertainer is an actor, comedian, and game show host. Since he started comedy 29 years ago, the 57-year-old has appeared on stage many times and been in several movies like the “Barbershop” franchise, “The Neighborhood,” and many others. In the interview, the actor also mentioned a mental state performers go into while performing.
Cedric The Entertainer Talked About Performer’s Mental States
While defending Scott, Cedric the Entertainer tried to view things from the rapper’s own perspective. The actor noted that the crowd was a lot and really hyped up. He noted the crowd’s noise, the explosions going off, and the lights directed at the stage.
He revealed that in situations like that, most performers were mainly focused on the energy of their fans. “Only when I recognize that is negative will I be able to stop and say ‘alright, cool, let me get off stage,’ or ‘slow it down,’ or whatever.”
