Look, there is absolutely nothing good about the tragedy that happened at Astroworld last November. More than ten people died, crushed in a frenzied crowd as Travis Scott performed a headlining set at his own festival. If there has been one silver lining to this horrific event, it’s that other artists have made it a point to stop their concerts when they notice if a fan in attendance could be having a medical emergency.
There’s footage of Billie Eilish stopping her Atlanta show mid-set earlier this month when it came to her attention that a fan was having trouble breathing. And now post-metal legends Tool, were captured stopping their Fear Inoculum Tour show at Washington DC’s Capital One Arena two nights ago when a fan near the front row had collapsed.
Just as a song is about to begin, the band cuts the music. Singer Maynard Keenan recognized that something was happening with a fan close to the front of the crowd. People were surrounding the person along the barricade with their cell phone lights on pointing downwards to care for someone who had collapsed. “Hang on we got a little situation down here,” Keenan said to the patient crowd. “We’re gonna make sure this person is OK before we continue.”
As medics made their way to the person, Keenan calmly bantered a bit with the fans who were immediately respectful of what was happening and cleared the path. “Make way for the EMTs please,” Keenan said. A minute or two passed at which he asked “We’re good?,” got a thumbs up and the crowd roared.
This situation showed again, how possible it is to be aware of the crowd from the stage. Losing yourself in the music is understandable, but there’s a greater community to consider as well. Bravo Maynard. Bravo Tool.
