4 Infamous Concert Tragedies That Tell a Cautionary Tale

Concerts and festivals are designed to be celebratory and escapist events. However, they are full of opportunities for disaster. Alcohol, crowds, poor management, inaccessible food and water, housing, weather, and so much more make concerts and festivals places in which things can go wrong on the turn of a dime. Tragically, it has happened quite a few times, and here are four infamous concert tragedies that tell a cautionary tale.

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Woodstock 99

Woodstock 99 is infamously the most poorly run and disastrous music festival of all time, and that is mainly because of the documentary, Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage. From the start, the festival was doomed, and consequently, the attendees’ lives, mental well-being, and health were in danger.

High heat, inadequate Amenities, and overpriced food and water are just a few of the basic things that turned this weekend of fun into a disaster zone. In addition, the crowd behavior was incredibly unruly, and that resulted in grave destruction and numerous sexual assault cases reported. Tragically, three people died during the festival.

The Altamont Free Concert in 1969

The idea behind the Altamont Free Concert was a well-intended one, as it was a free concert organized to celebrate the counterculture of the decade. However, it turned into something far darker and did not encompass the themes of the free love and flower power movement of the decade. And that is primarily due to the security, the Hells Angels.

In exchange for beer, the infamous biker gang, the Hells Angels, was hired as security. Per their reputation, it is no surprise that violence transpired, and that violence transpired during The Rolling Stones’ set. While battling fans with violent means, a member of the Angels stabbed and killed 18-year-old Meredith Hunter after she brandished a firearm. Due to the other deaths and the extensive amount of violence, many people often view this as a major cultural turning point of the 1960s.

The 2021 Astroworld Festival

One of the more recent festivals that ended in tragedy was Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld Festival. Hosted in Houston, Texas, the music festival turned into a disaster event during Scott’s headlining set. Specifically, a crowd surge transpired, which resulted in the deaths of 10 attendees. The 10 attendees died from compressive asphyxia (suffocation).

Following the mass casualty, injured concert goers and families of the deceased filed lawsuits against Live Nation and event organizers. The parties in question have since settled many of the lawsuits, including the lawsuit filed by the family of the youngest victim, the 9-year-old Ezra Blount.

The 1979 The Who Concert in Cincinnati, Ohio

On December 3, 1979, the world of music saw one of its most fatal disasters of all time. That disaster was The Who’s 1979 concert in Cincinnati, Ohio. Similar to Astroworld, 11 people died due to asphyxiation. The deaths of the 11 attendees came as a result of the 10,000 fans who rushed the stage to procure the best seats in the GA section.

The tragic event did lead to significant changes concerning safety precautions and crowd management at large venues. Reportedly, The Who were not aware of these deaths until after their performance at the Riverfront Coliseum.

Photo by Erika Goldring/WireImage