Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines for November 9
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Kyle Green, who was paralyzed after attending a Travis Scott concert in 2017, said he is feeling "tremendous sadness" following the Astroworld tragedy.
On Friday, the crowd at the outdoor Houston festival suddenly surged toward the stage during a performance by the rapper, squeezing fans so tightly together that they couldn’t breathe or move their arms. Eight people were killed in the chaos, over 300 were treated at a field hospital on site, and at least 13 others were hospitalized. The show, which was attended by some 50,000 people, is now the focus of a criminal investigation.
"[Kyle] was so upset and saddened by this horrible human tragedy," Green’s attorney Howard Hershenhorn told Fox News.
"He was even angry because this all could’ve been prevented if Travis Scott had learned his lessons from the past, which unfortunately he did not. And so the sadness has been mixed with a great deal of anger because Kyle is fully familiar with Travis’ past escapades. Travis could have avoided this senseless tragedy."
Travis Scott is being sued by Kyle Green (pictured here) who said he was partially paralyzed when he was pushed from a third-floor balcony at a New York City concert in 2017. (Courtesy of Kyle Green)
On April 30, 2017, the then-23-year-old attended Scott’s concert at New York City’s Terminal 5. He claimed that Scott, 30, encouraged the "absolutely packed" audience to get closer to the stage and even jump from the balcony. Many pushed toward the front whether they were on the balcony or in the mosh pit, said Hershenhorn.
TRAVIS SCOTT STOPS MUSIC AT ASTROWORLD TO HELP FAN IN NEW VIDEO: LIVE UPDATES
In a video that has since been deleted from Twitter, the star is caught encouraging a different fan to drop down from the second-floor balcony into the crowd below.
"I see you, but are you gonna do it?" Scott told the audience member who had already climbed over the railing. "They gonna catch you. Don’t be scared. Don’t be scared!"
Travis Scott performs during 2021 Astroworld Festival at NRG Park on Nov. 5, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Erika Goldring/WireImage via Getty Images)
Amid the chaos, Green said he was forced over the edge of the higher railing by the surging crowd and pushed from a third-floor balcony. He fell and hit the floor. Hershenhorn said Green, who suffered serious injuries including a fractured vertebrae, a broken left wrist and a fractured right ankle, was scooped up by Scott’s security without using a neck brace or backboard. Hershenhorn said Green was then dragged around the venue including up to the stage where Scott offered him his ring.
"He was carried around like a sack of potatoes," said Hershenhorn.
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Green eventually made it to the hospital but by then the injuries had worsened. He currently uses a wheelchair and lives with his parents.
Kyle Green said he was pushed after Travis Scott encouraged people to jump. (Courtesy of Kyle Green)
"Unfortunately for Kyle, as a result of them picking him up and jostling him, they destabilized the fractured in his neck and caused him to be paralyzed," said Hershenhorn. "His right side has regained a lot of strength and feeling [since then], but his left side is still almost entirely paralyzed. He can’t use his left hand. He has very limited sensation on the left side of his body. His left leg is still partially paralyzed."
When it comes to Scott appearing to incite violence from his audience, Hershenhorn said one only needs to read his lyrics. He brought up Scott’s 2018 song "Stargazing" from his Grammy-nominated album "Astroworld." The rapper said, "And it ain’t a mosh pit if it ain’t no injuries/ I got ‘em stage diving out the nosebleeds."
Scott is famous for encouraging fans to ignore security and instead crowd-surf and stage-dive in the mosh pit below him. A commercial for this year’s Astroworld event, since removed from YouTube, shows fans breaking through barricades and storming the concert grounds at the 2019 event.
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Following his injuries, Kyle Green moved out of his Brooklyn apartment to go live with his parents in Dutchess County. (Courtesy of Kyle Green)
In 2015, Chicago officials said Scott encouraged fans at the Lollapalooza music festival to vault security barricades. The rapper was sentenced to one year of court supervision after pleading guilty to reckless conduct charges. Also that year, Scott stopped a July show in Switzerland and repeatedly ordered the crowd to "f--- up" a fan who attempted to take one of his shoes, the New York Post reported. A video clip from that incident has gone viral.
In 2017, the same year that Green suffered his injuries, Scott was arrested after he encouraged fans to bypass security and rush the stage during a concert in Arkansas, leaving a security guard, a police officer and several others injured. Scott faced several misdemeanor charges, including inciting a riot. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a fine.
"Look at his own lyrics, his own statements, his own shows – what more do you need?" said Hershenhorn, who noted that as an artist holding the mic, Scott is responsible for putting a stop to reckless behavior at his concerts.
A general view of the atmosphere during Travis Scott's second annual Astroworld Festival at NRG Park on Nov. 9, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Gary Miller/Getty Images)
"It all starts with the artist," he explained. "If he’s going to be the person that riles the people up that they go wild, then he has to take responsibility for what those wild people begin to do. If you’re the one who’s going to say, ‘We still sneaking the wild ones in,’ and you’re the one who’s going to get up there in front of this type of audience of youngsters who are influenced by him, and you’re going to tell them to rush to the stage and you’re going to tell them to put the middle finger up to security… then it doesn’t matter what the security plan is going to be. Clearly, security was terrible… Clearly, security has some responsibility, but it all starts with the artist."
Green’s case is still pending within New York State’s Supreme Court. Reps for Scott, security company Strike Force Protective Services, and The Bowery Presents, which manages Terminal 5, didn’t immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment. Scott, through his lawyer, has denied Green’s allegations.
Hershenhorn stressed that a similar incident cannot happen again.
Reps for Travis Scott did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment. (Erika Goldring/WireImage/Getty Images)
"Travis Scott must change his ways," he said. "If he had learned from the past, this horrific tragedy would have never occurred. That’s what makes it worse – it could have been avoided."
Scott, whose real name is Jacques Bermon Webster II, founded the Astroworld Festival in 2018. The Houston native has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards. He has a 3-year-old daughter with Kylie Jenner, who announced in September that she’s pregnant with their second child.
Scott publicly pledged publicly to do everything in his power to help those impacted by Astroworld. The rapper announced in a press release Monday that he is working with law enforcement and investigators to "respectfully and appropriately" contact the families of the victims so that he can do everything in his power to assist those affected "throughout their grieving and recovery process.
In addition to covering the funeral expenses, Scott noted that he has partnered with the therapy service BetterHelp, which will provide free one-on-one online therapy with a licensed therapist to those who want it. He is also working closely with NAMI, MHA National, and MHA of Greater Houston (Mental Health America) to direct all those in need to proper mental health services.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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