NEWS
Toro Y Moi
Jack BoolToro y Moi pledged to donate all profits from his performance at Travis Scott's 2021 Astroworld Festival on Friday to the families of the eight victims who died.
The performer, also known as Chaz Bear, took to Instagram on Wednesday (Nov. 10) following his performance last weekend at Houston's Astroworld. Friday's event left eight festivalgoers -- ranging in ages from 14 to 27 -- dead and 300 more injured as a result of the crowd reportedly surging toward the stage during Scott's headlining set. Toro y Moi frequently collaborated with Scott on the rapper's early material, including "Chaz Interlude" from the 2013 mixtape Owl Pharaoh and "Flying High" from his 2015 debut studio album Rodeo. The 35-year-old artist's initial social media statement following the deadly festival was, "Team Toro is safe and sound. Sending love to Houston. Thanks for having us, we hope to be back soon! Be safe out there everyone."
In his latest Instagram post, he said he paired the solemn message with a picture of himself smiling "purely for algorithmic purposes only."
"I’d like to send my condolences to the families of those who were killed at AstroWorld last week. The loss of life at a concert is unbelievably sad and discouraging as an entertainer. It’s taken me a few days to process and understand what all has happened," Bear wrote. "To show support, my business/management teams, my band and crew and I are all donating our entire fees and any profit to the families of the victims from the event. Profiting from this event feels completely off and I’d like to encourage other performers to consider helping in someway as well."
He's the second artist who has publicly announced they were donating their performance earnings to the victims' families, after Roddy Ricch took the lead on Sunday, writing, "I'll be donating my net compensation to the families of this incident."
Other Astroworld performers who have offered up their condolences after the "mass casualty" event include Drake, who addressed the families by writing on Instagram, "I will continue to pray for all of them and will be of service in any way I can," as well as SZA, who tweeted, "I'm actually in shock n don't even know what to say .. just praying for everyone in Houston especially the families of those that lost their lives."
Bear added toward the end of this Wednesday post: "We have always promoted a positive, safe space for people to express and have fun. I promise to prioritize our fan’s safety throughout the show. All I ask all of my fans, venue staff and security is that if you ever see someone in distress or in need of any help at a show, please— help them out."
On Monday, Scott announced he would cover the funeral costs for all eight victims as well as partner with BetterHelp to provide free virtual one-on-one therapy for anyone needing it in the wake of the travesty.
Read Toro y Moi's message below.
Sade will not be attending their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this week.
The English group, made up of Sade Adu, Paul Denman, Stuart Matthewman, and Andrew Hale, are among this year's inductees into the prestigious institution. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles this Saturday.
However, a representative for Sade confirmed on Tuesday through the band's official website that none of the members would be attending the event.
"We're sorry that we won't be able to join everyone in person to celebrate alongside the other artists. However, our absence does not lessen how deeply this recognition means to us," they stated. "Being welcomed into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a wonderful honour and a meaningful opportunity to express our gratitude, not just to everyone who voted for us, but to every person who has made our music part of their lives."
The representative also acknowledged their manager Roger Davies for his support and paid tribute to the late engineer and co-producer Mike Pela, who passed away in 2022.
"We owe so much to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey," they continued, before signing the message: "Sade, Stuart, Andrew, and Paul. Mike Pela, the fifth member of Sade... This recognition belongs to you just as much as it does to us, Mike. You will always be our soul mate."
Sade will be joining Oasis among the artists missing this year's ceremony. Liam Gallagher previously addressed his absence in a message on X, saying the journey was "too far" for him to make just "for the night".
The other musicians being recognised at this weekend's ceremony include Billy Idol, Phil Collins, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, the late Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan.
