Megan Thee Stallion
WireImageMegan Thee Stallion has canceled an upcoming concert in Houston, Texas, “out of respect” for the victims of Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival. The concert was set to take place on Friday, Dec. 3 at 713 Music Hall.
“Out of respect for the lives lost in Houston earlier this month, I have decided to cancel my show at 713 Music Hall on Dec. 3,” the rapper said in a statement first given to the Houston Chronicle. “Houston is still healing, and it’s important that our community be given the appropriate time to grieve. My heart goes out to all the families that are suffering during this difficult time.”
The concert was intended to commemorate the opening of 713 Musical Hall, a new venue in Houston, Megan Thee Stallion’s hometown. It was also meant as a celebration of the rapper’s new bachelor’s degree in health administration, which she is set to receive on Dec. 11 from Texas Southern University.
So far hundreds of lawsuits have been filed by Astroworld attendees who say the event left them with injuries and psychological trauma. A new lawsuit was filed last week by the family of John Hilgert. The 14-year-old was one of 10 people killed during a brutal crowd rush during Scott’s Astroworld.
Earlier this week, Scott’s offer to cover the funeral expenses for nine-year-old Ezra Blount, the youngest victim to die at Astroworld, was rebuffed by the boy’s family in a heartbreaking letter obtained by Rolling Stone. The families of several other victims have also refused Scott’s offer.
At the BTS concert in Tokyo on Friday (April 17), j-hope opened up to ARMY with heartbreaking news. His grandmother, who played a major role in raising him and had always been proud of his journey with the group, has passed away.
Speaking to the packed crowd at the Tokyo Dome, the K-pop star chose to be open with fans about what he was going through. “Honestly, this might be a bit of a heavy thing to share, but I really wanted to express how I’m feeling today,” he said, translated from Korean into English. “Right after we arrived in Japan, I got the news that my maternal grandmother, the one who raised me from when I was little, had passed away.”
“I felt completely stunned and did not really know how to process it at first, but being around the members, sitting down together for meals, and focusing on rehearsals helped me more than I thought it would,” j-hope went on. “My grandmother was always incredibly proud, not just of me but of all the members. She truly believed in what we do. So I feel like if she was watching from above today, she would have loved every second of it.”
He closed by thanking the audience for making his first performance after the loss feel meaningful and full of support.
BTS are currently touring in support of their new album ARIRANG, which has just earned a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Following three opening shows in Goyang, South Korea, the group is set to perform twice at the Tokyo Dome before heading abroad for the North American leg. Before the tour wraps in March next year, they will also visit Latin America, Europe, Australia, and several other regions across Asia.
On the same day as the first Tokyo concert, j-hope’s solo interview with Rolling Stone was released. During the conversation, he spoke about stepping into a leadership presence within the group. “I think that’s my role on the team,” he shared. “It just comes naturally. It feels strange to even call it a role, but I just try to handle things as they come and support the other members in any way I can.”
Additional reporting from Billboard Korea.
