Travis Scott will perform in Houston for the first time since the Astroworld tragedy

Love him or hate him, it’s hard to deny that Travis Scott is having a really good summer. In June, the rapper was cleared of all criminal liability for the ten deaths that occurred at his Astroworld festival in 2021 (although he still faces several civil suits from families of the victims). Then, just this week, his newest record Utopia became the rapper’s third to debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200, a release which he celebrated with a live-streamed concert (featuring Kanye West, of all people) and Instagram tour announcement.

While Scott has not announced specific tour dates or locations yet, Mayor Sylvester Turner of his native Houston revealed that the rapper’s promoters had “booked the Toyota Center for a concert in October” (via ABC13). This will be Scott’s first live show in his home city since the tragedy occurred.

In a statement, Turner addressed the fact that the 19,000-seat stadium is a very different type of venue than the unregulated NRG parking lot which led to the 2021 crush. “Before (Tuesday’s) announcement, Toyota Center representatives convened meetings with public safety officials and the city’s special events office. They will continue working together to ensure this concert’s safety, not unlike the thousands of concerts held at Toyota Center each year,” according to the statement.

Not everyone was so sure. Per KPRC 2, the leaders within the Houston Police Department expressed their frustrations in a “tense meeting” in response to the news. “The HPOU found out early last week that Travis Scott would be returning to Houston for two concert dates. October 19th, and November the 20th, were the dates in which were proposed for the return. Like most we were in complete disbelief,” HPD Union President Douglas Griffith said in a statement.

“Only days after the release of a 1200-page report describing the tragic events that took place during his Astroworld Concert, we are advised just days later that there will be another,” the statement continued. “This is outrageous and the HPOU will be calling for all of our elected officials to stand up and say, Not in our city, not again!” Fans seem a little more split on the issue, with some pointing out that things should be fine in a “controlled arena with assigned seating and spacing” and others saying that the rapper’s return is “too soon.”