Congressional panel will investigate Live Nation’s role in Astroworld tragedy

By Amanda Watts and Paul LeBlanc, CNN

A congressional panel will investigate Live Nation Entertainment, the concert promoter behind the tragic Astroworld Festival that left 10 people dead and hundreds injured last month.

The House Oversight Committee announced Wednesday that it is launching a bipartisan investigation into “the roles and responsibilities for Astroworld Festival, security planning for the event, and the steps Live Nation Entertainment took after being made aware that law enforcement had declared the event a ‘mass casualty event.’ “

The Houston festival on November 5 turned deadly after the packed crowd surged toward an outdoor stage where headliner Travis Scott was performing. Ten people died from “compression asphyxia,” according to the medical examiner, and hundreds of others were injured.

In a letter to Live Nation, the panel said, “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 panel noted reports of inadequate security and medical staff at the venue, the placement of barricades, and a failure to heed warning signs.”

The letter added that members of the panel are “concerned by reports about Live Nation’s conduct following Astroworld Festival,” considering the company’s “long line of other tragic events and safety violations.”

Live Nation told CNN in a statement, “We are assisting local authorities in their investigation and will of course share information with the Committee as well. 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,” the statement said.

The panel requested information from Live Nation by January 7 and has requested a briefing on January 12.

Records on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration website show that Live Nation has been fined or sued on a variety of issues over the past decade, including an incident in 2018 when someone was struck in the head by a 6-foot metal post and hospitalized.

In an incident in 2012, an employee died after falling through a “false ceiling” on a stage. The person wasn’t wearing any safety belts or other protection.

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CNN’s Chloe Melas contributed to this report.