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Astroworld Lawyers Say Nearly 1,000 Alleged Victims Ignored Deadlines to Hand Over Key Evidence
More than a year into litigation over the deadly Astroworld music festival, attorneys for the event’s organizers say that nearly 1,000 fans who sued over their alleged injuries have ignored deadlines and failed to hand over “critical evidence.”
In a filing last week, attorneys for the defendants in the case — Live Nation, Travis Scott, Apple and many others involved in the festival — alerted Judge Kristen Brauchle Hawkins that 956 alleged victims had “not provided any response whatsoever” to basic requests for information.
“There is no excuse for the non-responsive plaintiffs’ complete disregard of their discovery obligations,” the lawyers for the organizers wrote in the Nov. 23 filing. “They should be compelled to comply immediately.”
Some lawyers for victims quickly pushed back, though. In responses on Monday (Nov. 28), attorneys repping dozens of purported non-responders said many of their clients had in fact filed the necessary papers — or had been dropped from the case entirely. Others said their clients had “experienced serious trauma” and that lawyers were “working diligently with them to complete their discovery response.”
The dueling filings came in sprawling litigation over Astroworld, in which a crowd crush during Scott’s Nov. 5, 2021 performance left 10 dead and hundreds physically injured. Thousands of alleged victims are seeking billions in total damages, claiming the organizers were legally negligent in how they planned and conducted the event.
As of May, court filings said that more than 4,900 alleged victims had filed claims in the case. But the latest filings this week suggest that number has now been winnowed down to around 2,500.
The two sides are currently in the midst of what is known as discovery, the legal process in which each side hands over evidence to their opponents. Earlier this year, Live Nation, Scott and other defendants had sought a variety of information about each plaintiff, including details about their particular injury, documentary evidence that they attended the festival and any messages or other digital records related to the festival.
In the filing last week, attorneys for the Astroworld organizers said a huge number of alleged victims had “wholly failed to respond,” despite the fact that the questions had been heavily negotiated with the legal team for the concertgoers.
“It has now been more than six months since defendants served their original discovery requests and more than a month since all extensions have expired,” the Astroworld lawyers wrote. “Yet approximately 38% of the Plaintiffs … have provided absolutely zero response.”
Failing to hand over this “critical evidence” soon could hamper the litigation in ways that cannot be undone, the organizers warned.
“The longer the non-responsive plaintiffs delay, the higher the risk that critical evidence or information in their possession will be lost, destroyed, or forgotten,” they wrote. “Cell phones get lost or destroyed, and the photographs and videos on them get deleted.”
Matty Healy & Ross MacDonald Share a Sweet Kiss During The 1975 Concert: ‘Luckiest Girl in the World’
With over 20 year of being in a band, The 1975 has nothing but love and admiration for one another. So much so, they sometimes share and showcase their love for each other through public displays of affection.
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During The 1975’s San Francisco show at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Tuesday (Nov. 29), love was in the air by the time fan favorite track “Robbers” rolled around in the band’s set, which saw frontman and lead singer Matty Healy stealing a brief, yet passionate smooch from bassist Ross MacDonald during the famous pause in the song’s dramatic outro.
“And I’ll shoot him if it’s what you ask / But if you’d just take off your mask/ You’d find out everything’s gone wrong,” Healy sings, before pulling in MacDonald for the kiss and playfully pushing him away to belt, “Now everybody’s dead/ And they’re driving past my old school.”
MacDonald seemed to enjoy Healy’s affections, taking to Instagram later on Tuesday to share a cinematic snap of the moment to his account, captioning it, “The luckiest girl in the world.” Fans were understandably in awe of the moment, with one user commenting they “don’t know if I’m jealous of you or matty” and another fan stating they “wish i was matty healy for once in my life.”
Healy and MacDonald’s kiss is just one of many antics that have occurred during the band’s At Their Very Best tour — last week, the vocalist kissed a fan onstage, also during “Robbers,” and in previous stops during the North American trek made waves for eating raw meat onstage.
The 1975 has a total of seven dates left in the North American leg of its At Their Very Best tour, with stops in Portland, Seattle, Toronto and more before concluding on Dec. 17 at Pittsburgh’s UPMC Events Center.
See MacDonald’s photo and fan captured moments of the kiss below.
Why Shakira Remains the Queen of World Cup Music
Twelve years after its release, Shakira‘s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” has made its debut on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, peaking at No. 46 on the tally dated Dec. 3. On the Billboard Global 200, it debuted at No. 96.
This is no coincidence.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is currently taking place in Qatar and, as ever, fútbol fans have pivoted toward songs and anthems that they’ll have on repeat throughout the international soccer event.
The Colombian singer’s trilingual “Waka Waka,” featuring Freshlyground — which served as the official FIFA song in 2010 for the World Cup that took place in South Africa — captured fans globally thanks to its irresistible joyful and upbeat style powered by an Afro-fusion and soca-influenced beat. Plus, the track’s earworm chorus helps too: “Tsamina mina, eh, eh / Waka waka, eh, eh / Tsamina mina zangalewa / This time for Africa.” Back then, it peaked at No. 2 on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart and No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100.
She performed “Waka Waka” — plus a medley that included “She Wolf” and “Hips Don’t Lie” — during the 2010 World Cup opening ceremony. This year, fans were hoping that, if anything, Shakira would release a song for the World Cup, and even spread rumors online that she was set to perform at the opening ceremony. It was also reported incorrectly by other outlets that she was supposed to perform.
In reality, Shakira was never scheduled to appear at the World Cup, but she didn’t need to perform or even release a new song in order to be part of the festivities. The resurfacing of “Waka Waka” makes her the ultimate queen of World Cup music, as it becomes the only official World Cup song or anthem from previous years to appear on the Billboard global charts.
Shakira’s World Cup debut was in 2006, when she performed “Hips Don’t Lie” during the World Cup’s closing ceremony in Germany. And after South Africa, Shakira returned to the soccer world in 2014 for the World Cup in Brazil, for which she released “La La La,” featuring Carlinhos Brown.
But “Waka Waka” is a song you can’t escape. And it’ll go down in history as one of the most memorable World Cup songs — along with Ricky Martin‘s 1998 “Cup of Life.” We can all probably agree with the YouTube user who commented on the “La La La” video: “If Shakira could make all the World Cup songs, the world would be a better place.”
Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie Mourned by Sheryl Crow, Garbage & More: ‘Songbird Forever’
Christine McVie died on Wednesday (Nov. 30) at age 79, and the music community immediately took to social media to honor the late Fleetwood Mac lyricist.
While McVie’s bandmates released a joint statement announcing her death, both Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood penned individual tributes to their friend on their personal Twitter accounts. “Part of my heart has flown away today.. I will miss everything about you Christine McVie,” the drummer wrote, in part, while Nicks shared a handwritten note using lyrics from Haim’s 2019 single “Hallelujah.”
“I am so sad to hear of Christine McVie going on to heaven,” tweeted Sheryl Crow. “The world feels weird without her here. What a legend and an icon and an amazing human being. RIP.”
Garbage was one of the first acts to react to the news, writing, “Gutted to learn about the passing of Christine McVie. Just gutted. Songbird forever.”
John Taylor shared his thoughts on behalf of Duran Duran, tweeting, “So so sad to hear about Christine McVie an artist I held dear and close to my heart. One of the greatest all time songwriters, singers, and band members, she radiated both purity and sass in equal measure, bringing light to the music of the 70s. RIP,” alongside a black-and-white portrait of the prolific singer-songwriter.
As one-fifth of the iconic band, some of Fleetwood Mac’s greatest songs written by McVie included “Songbird,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Little Lies,” “Don’t Stop” and many more.
Read more tributes to McVie’s memory from Diane Warren, Bret Michaels, Ann Wilson and others below.
SZA Unveils Cover Art for Long-Awaited ‘S.O.S.’ Album
On Wednesday (Nov. 30), fans got closer to receiving SZA’s long-awaited sophomore album S.O.S. when the TDE singer unveiled the project’s cover art on Instagram.
Donning a football jersey with S.O.S. stitched on the sleeve, SZA sits on the edge of a diving board planted over a large body of water.
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Earlier this month, SZA released her newest single, “Shirt,” which debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Along with doling out another high-charting single, SZA recently covered Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players issue. In the cover story, she questioned her longevity in music and where she sees her career going forward.
“I feel like music, in this capacity, I don’t see longevity,” she admitted. “I like to create, I like to write, I like to sing, and I like to share. But I don’t know if chasing after superstardom or whatever I’m supposed to be doing right now is sustainable for me or for anybody. I’mma take a good swing at it, and I’mma give ’em my absolute best.”
Since her 2017 opus Ctrl, SZA’s road to S.O.S. has been a long one. Despite remaining tight-lipped about her pending release, she strung together a bevy of one-off singles, including “Good Days” and “I Hate U.” Both songs enjoyed considerable success on the Hot 100, peaking inside the top 10 at No. 9 and No. 7, respectively. “I only do what I want to do,” SZA revealed in her cover story, “and this makes me feel free and safe and unrestricted.”
This weekend, SZA is set to be a musical guest on Saturday Night Live with Keke Palmer serving as the show’s host.
Check out the album cover of SZA’s S.O.S. below.
10 Best Christine McVie Songs: Fleetwood Mac, Solo Hits & More
As she was releasing her third solo album, In the Meantime, back in 2004, Christine McVie — then on hiatus from Fleetwood Mac — mused on what she liked most about making music.
“Songwriting has always been the favorite thing to do for me,” McVie told Billboard. “Traveling and touring and living out of a suitcase, I don’t like that nomadic life. But writing songs, absolutely. I wouldn’t want to stop that.”
And McVie did it very well.
She was, perhaps, Fleetwood Mac’s most consistent songwriter — which is not to denigrate Lindsey Buckingham and his quirks or Stevie Nicks and her ethereal whimsy. McVie was simply solid — “the pop songwriter” as Nicks once called her; when you heard one of her tunes you knew you’d get a solid melody, some undeniable hooks and easily relatable lyrics, maybe dressed up sonically by Buckingham.
There was more to McVie than Fleetwood Mac, of course. She started as Christine Perfect in the band Chicken Shack before joining the Mac, then went on to record three of her own albums and one in 2017 with Buckingham.
McVie — who received a Gold Badge of Merit from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors in 2006 — leaves behind a wealth of outstanding material and a body of work that runs deep. We’re confident the 10 songs selected here, in alphabetical order, comprise the best representation of her considerable craft and her indelible impact on the Billboard charts (not to mention a certain presidential campaign).
NCT DREAM Share Their 7 Favorite Moments From New ‘In a Dream’ Movie: Exclusive
After NCT DREAM stole the show during their first U.S. performance at KCON 2022 in Los Angeles earlier this year, the K-pop boy band is connecting with international fans once again with the release of their In a Dream movie. The full-length film will go into Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung’s world both on and off stage as the group prepares and performs their largest concert to date in South Korea’s massive Olympic Stadium.
Throughout the two-hour feature, fans will get live performances, rehearsal footage and intimate interviews in which the seven members discuss one another and also see themselves on screen as they read and watch messages from their NCTzen fans filmed on site. Beyond that, viewers can take in In a Dream via special ScreenX, 4DX, and 4DXScreen experiences, which offer multisensory effects for viewers.
“We are thrilled to release NCT DREAM’s first movie all around the world,” Jongryul Kim, CEO at CJ 4DPLEX, said in a statement. “Also, we are pleased to continue our relationship with Trafalgar Releasing and to partner for the first time with SM Entertainment to bring NCT DREAM’s movie to cinemas worldwide. NCTzens all around the globe now can enjoy the concert performances and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage on the big screen, especially in our special formats — ScreenX, 4DX, and 4DXScreen.”
Ahead of In a Dream‘s release, Billboard got some exclusive reflections from NCT DREAM about the moments from the film they loved and want NCTzens to look out for the most. From the must-see arrangements to sound and facial details, here’s a primer from the septet before you head to the theater for the November and December screenings.
