Travis Scott removed from Coachella line-up following Astroworld tragedy
His Coachella performance was billed to be his "return to stage"
Travis Scott has been reportedly dropped from the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival's 2022 schedule of performers.
Following the disaster at his own Astroworld festival in November, where 10 people died after the audience surged during his headline show, the controversial rapper was removed off the line-up, according to a report from KESQ in Palm Springs.
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In the days following the incident, a Change.org petition was created calling for his removal from Coachella's schedule.
As of today, (December 13), the petition has roughly 60,000 signatures.
“With the recent tragedy and unnecessary death at Travis Scott’s Astroworld concert, due to Scott’s own gross negligence and sheer lack of compassion for human life, we ask AEG, Paul Tollet, and Goldenvoice to remove his [sic] as performer at all of their festivals,” the online petition reads.
The KESQ report has not been confirmed by representatives for the artist, the festival, or the city of Indio, California, where Coachella is held.
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According to sources, the festival told Scott's long-time agent, Cara Lewis of the Cara Lewis Group, of its intention to remove Scott from the line-up, which he was scheduled to headline, and that it would pay a kill fee, which is generally 25%, for the cancellation.
Lewis has been reportedly adamant about keeping the role, which would have marked Scott's comeback to the stage following Astroworld.
Regardless of the lack of clarity, it's tough to envision Scott appearing at a music festival anytime soon after his Houston show.
Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed in the aftermath of the Astroworld catastrophe, citing Scott, guest performer Drake, promoter Live Nation, and many others as those to blame.
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Since the tragic November 5 performance in Houston, which injured hundreds of people, Scott's career has faced consequences.
Anheuser-Busch said on Friday that a Scott-branded hard seltzer will be removed off shop shelves, stating that "brand fans will understand and respect" the decision.
After receiving widespread criticism on social media, Hulu cancelled a 50-minute special titled Astroworld: Concert From Hell about the Houston disaster earlier this month.
Read this next: News special about Astroworld tragedy removed from Hulu
Last week, the rapper finally spoke out about the tragic event, stating that he is "1000%" confident he would help injured attendees.
“I have a responsibility to figure out what happened here,” he said. “I have a responsibility to find a solution. Hopefully, this takes a first step into us artists having more insight into what’s going on.”
Read this next: More families reject Travis Scott's offer to cover funeral costs
Coachella is expected to announce two new headliners as a result of Scott's reported departure; Swedish House Mafia stated in October that they will play at the 2022 festival, but it is unknown if they are confirmed headliners.
The 2022 edition is already sold out, with tickets and packages available on a wait list.
[Via: Variety and New York Post]
Aneesa Ahmed is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter