On the night of Nov. 5, Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival caused tragic deaths and injuries to his fans in Houston, Texas. Given that festivals like this contain thousands of people tightly packed together, physical ailments are inevitable. College-aged students make up most of the demographic attending music festivals, so it’s important for them to be aware of the risks and how to improve the safety of themselves and others around them. 

People get hurt all the time at concerts, which are often tightly packed with thousands of people drugged, pushed, punched, lost and even killed. This is a problem faced by all parties involved but should be piloted by stage management, stage technician safety and concert security.  

Crowd control plans are an obligatory part of large events, which have evolved within the past two decades to cater to high-tech and sensory concerts. To manage general-admission events, long barriers known as crowd breaks are usually deployed to divide large spaces into smaller zones that contain as few as 5,000 patrons, reducing the risk of overcrowding.  

Lawsuits have been brought by concertgoers for injuries at arenas and venues. In cases where an injury may have been caused by unsafe conditions, the owner of the venue, the promoter and the security forces may be liable under “premises liability.” This declares that property owners are legally responsible for injuries or death caused by a failure to maintain their property in a reasonably safe manner.  

The newest mass casualty of Astroworld is devastating but will not stop fans from attending concerts and festivals.  

Some tips to ensure safety: 

1. Protect your money – whether you have cash or cards on you, keep them in closed pockets.  

1. Watch for security – Security will be looking out for danger, but it’s impossible to expect security to see everything. Knowing where they are can prevent a fight or theft.  

1. Don’t take drugs from others – For obvious reasons, don’t accept drugs or pills from strangers – not even Advil to cure your noise-caused headache. 

1. Have a meet-up spot – If you’re going with a group of friends, which is strongly suggested, it’s possible to get separated during the craziness of a show. 

1. If you see something, say something – If you see something sketchy going on within your vicinity, be sure to report it to authorities immediately to prevent the situation from escalating. 

1. Exits – Before joining the crowd, you should look for exit signs, so in case you need to escape from danger, you don’t have to add to your panic by trying to find a way out.  

Even if an individual follows protocol and advice, the concert hosts, like Travis Scott, and their security/emergency teams can still fall short of ensuring the safety of the audience. The experience of a concert is highly addictive, so the music industry will continue to strive off ticket sales since it is a key part of the performing artist tours. Although you want to get your money’s worth, no concert is worth risking your life for.