The office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott revealed in a Tuesday press release that a concert safety task force established last year had completed its final report on suggested measures to prevent disasters at mass gatherings from occurring.
The Texas Task Force on Concert Safety was created in November 2021 after a crowd rush during the Astroworld Festival held at NRG Park Stadium in Houston left ten concertgoers dead and another 300 injured.
An estimated 50,000 people attended the event, headlined by rapper Travis Scott, who received substantial backlash at the time following the disaster.
Among the recommendations from the task force is for future events to follow local permit guidelines and for localities to cancel a show if it is found they violate said rules.
The force strongly supports a requirement that event promoters determine which EMS, fire, and police agencies would respond to a 911 call if necessary. Those agencies should also be employed as unified on-site command and control (UCC) members.
Event promoters and venues are encouraged in the report to monitor the social media accounts and activity of artists with a history of “encouraging attendees to disregard public safety.”
“When an artist does this, it could be considered a breach of contract and come with responsibility for any damage to property and people,” it read.
Other recommendations from the task force include creating a concert attendee code of conduct, venue partnerships with artists to promote safety, and the availability of robust training resources for promoters and staff.
"I thank the Texas Task Force on Concert Safety for their commitment to safety and security for all concertgoers and for their collaboration with stakeholders on this critical report," Abbott 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."
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