Astroworld documentary to air this week despite protest from lawyers

A documentary covering 2021’s Astroworld tragedy in which 10 people died and hundreds were injured during a crowd surge at Travis Scott’s set will be screened this week.

The film, shot by documentarian Charlie Minn, is set to brandish the name Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy.

Concert Crush will be screened this week in 11 cities across Texas where the event took place, despite pushback and protest from lawyers and the festival’s promoters, Live Nation.

Lawyers have claimed that the documentary could sway the jury who will go up in court to hear cases against both Scott and Live Nation, arguing that it might “taint the jury pool”. A gag order was placed.

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While the documentary remains unbiased, with director Minn telling The Associated Press that it in no way is meant to act as a “hit piece toward Travis Scott”, Live Nation’s lawyers claimed that one attorney filing suits against the rapper has co-produced the film.

“My job is to make the most truthful, honest, sincere documentary from the victim’s point of view. We need to know about these stories to prevent it from happening again,” the director told The Associated Press.

Live Nation is currently facing multiple lawsuits following November’s Astroworld tragedy from fans who attended the event, down to security guards and families who lost loved ones.

Neal Manne and Kevin Yankowsky, two attorneys defending Live Nation, reportedly wrote in a letter to Texas state District Judge Kristen Hawkins that the involvement of lawyers could skew the jury’s vote.

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“The involvement of plaintiffs’ lawyers in the film, and the publicity the filmmakers and producers are trying to generate for it raise significant issues about efforts to taint the jury pool,” they said (via Billboard).

The film is set to involve interviews from fans who survived the crowd surge, as well as other event organisers alongside footage from the fateful night.

Crowd Crush is set to screen on May 6 across 11 cities in Texas, including Houston where the tragedy happened. Find screenings here.

[Via The Associated Press]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter