Christopher BarrettThe Texas Task Force on Concert Safety (TTFC), launched in response to the tragedy at Astroworld Festival in Houston that killed 10 concertgoers and injured over 300, has published its final report into the incident.
Promoted by Live Nation-owned Scoremore, the 50,000-cap festival at Houston’s NRG Park on 5 November saw a dramatic crowd surge during Travis Scott’s headline set that led to the fatalities and injuries.
Among the many recommendation in the TTFC report is the publication of an Event Production Guide (EPG) outlining best-practice for event design and crowd control. Available via the Texas Music Office website, TTFC said the centralised resource will serve as a one-stop shop for promoters to access existing legal requirements.
The TTFC said the EPG will include a list of robust training resources for promoters, staff, and first responders for site walkthrough drills, security briefings, communication trees, show-stop triggers and responses.
The TTFC also recommended a Concert Attendee Code of Conduct which it said should be part of the ticketing process and make clear what behaviours will lead to ejection: “The task force also recommends that venues communicate with other venue representatives that have hosted the artist before. Event promoters should partner with artists to encourage safety, since messaging from the artist can be uniquely persuasive for fans. In addition, the Event Production Guide will include best practices for event design and crowd control.”
Texas governor Greg Abbott launched the task force on 10 November last year. It is led by Texas Music Office director Brendon Anthony and consists of safety experts, law enforcement, fire fighters, state agencies, music industry leaders, and others. The task force held several meetings and one-on-one discussions to analyse concert safety and develop ways to enhance security at live music events in Texas.
Abbot said, “The recommendations, findings, and solutions detailed in this report will help the State of Texas prevent another tragedy like that at Astroworld Festival from happening again.”