Travis Scott’s new spokeswoman, former Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, said in a TV interview Friday that the idea the rapper could have stopped the disastrous Astroworld Festival in Houston in “ludicrous.”
“They have a 59-page operations plan, and it clearly says the only two people that are, have the authority to stop the concert, were the executive producer and the concert producer,” Rawlings-Blake said on “CBS Mornings.”
“He was not responsible for this, but he wants to be responsible for the solution,” added the former mayor, who was reportedly introduced to the 30-year-old rapper by a mutual friend, according to CBS Baltimore.
Rawlings-Blake, 51, who served as mayor from February 2010 to December 2016, said Scott was unaware the event turned into a tragedy, adding that he and his team later attended an afterparty at Dave & Busters to “regroup.”
“They were trying to figure out what was going on. It was hours and hours after the concert when they actually found out the tragedy, how the tragedy unfolded,” she told host Gayle King. “And he has not stopped grieving for these families. He knows that he is who he is because of his fans. His love for his fans is so deep.”
She added: “There was so much chaos, there was so much breakdown in communication, and that’s why it was important for me to work to try to help them out. Nine people have lost their lives, nine families are grieving.”
Rawlings-Blake, who now provides consulting and advocacy services under the company SRB & Associates, said she also is a mother and understands the fans’ parents.
“My daughter’s gone to one of these big concerts and I can tell you I spent three sleepless nights every day watching my phone, watching her location because when you have crowds of 50,000 people, anything can happen,” she said.
On Tuesday, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said Scott and the organizers should have stopped the show when they realized members of the crowd were in danger.
Scott’s handlers released a statement Thursday saying he is still “actively exploring routes of communication” with families affected by the disaster.
“Over the last week, Travis Scott and his team have been actively exploring routes of connection with each and every family affected by the tragedy through the appropriate liaisons,” according to the statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
Scott’s attorney Edwin McPherson on Friday insisted his client was unaware the show was declared a mass casualty event until after his performance, according to Fox News.
“In fact, we’ve seen footage of police half an hour later just walking about and not looking like it was a mass casualty event. Clearly, the important thing is that never got to Travis, that never got to Travis’ crew,” McPherson said on “Good Morning America.”
