Travis Scott addressed his fans in a video posted Saturday night (Nov. 6) following the tragedy that took place during his set at Friday’s Astroworld Festival in Houston, where eight people died amid a crowd surge.

“I just want to send out prayers to the ones that was lost last night,” Scott posted in a clip posted on his Instagram Stories. “We’re actually working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time.”

He added, “You know my fans, my fans really mean the world to me and I’ll always just really want to leave them with a positive experience.”

“Any time I can make out anything that’s going on, I stop the show and help them get the help they need,” Scott said. “I could just never imagine the severity of the situation.”

“We’ve been working closely with everyone to just try to get to the bottom of this. City of Houston, HPD, fire department — you know, everyone to help us figure this out. If you have any information, please just contact your local authorities. Everybody, continue to just keep your prayers,” said Scott.

“I mean, I’m honestly just devastated and I could never imagine anything like this just happening,” he said. “I’m gonna do everything I can to keep you guys updated and keep you guys informed on what’s going on.”

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner confirmed at a press conference that took place shortly after 3 p.m. local time Saturday that there were eight fatalities from the music festival, and that the ages of seven of those who died ranged from 14-27 years old. One male victim of the incident was yet to be identified.

As of this afternoon, 13 of the 25 people rushed to the hospital Friday night were still there, and one of the 25 was confirmed to be a 10-year-old who remained in critical condition.

During the press conference, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said “there were some individuals that were trampled” in the crowd surge. Houston authorities are awaiting autopsy results and plan to provide more information once all families of the deceased are contacted.  

Finner also confirmed a report about a security officer receiving a needle prick from an unknown person at the festival. The officer went unconscious, was treated with Narcan and was successfully revived. Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña confirmed “there were several, many instances where they administered Narcan on the scene.”

Scott’s Saturday night video follows a note he posted earlier in the day, a statement in which he echoed some of what he said on camera.

On Saturday afternoon, he wrote, “I am absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life. I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need. Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department, and NRG Park for their immediate response and support. Love you all.”

As the brand’s first official basketball sneaker, the Nike Blazer Mid ’77 has done a lot over the decades. For its latest proposition, the mid-top silhouette has emerged in a kid’s-exclusive “White/Black/Summit White/Rush Maroon”-colored style featuring a “deconstructed” look.

Unlike most takes that’ve landed on the made-for-the-hardwood model. the newly-surfaced pair indulges in a split construction across its upper: suede appears around the toe and across the mid-foot, while synthetic leather lands along the tongue and throughout the heel. The seemingly-haphazard layout allows for the sneaker’s color palette to shine through, as well as for the “deconstructed” aesthetic to come through. “Rush Maroon” animates the lowered, partly-hidden lateral swoosh, and branding on the tongue label and medial side. The titular logo on the instep resorts to just an outline, which resembles past schematic-inspired Nike Sportswear offerings. Elsewhere, the Nike Blazer includes a pull tab on the tongue, additional “Just Do It” messaging atop the laces and a wine-reminiscent outsole underfoot.

Enjoy official images of the pair here below, and anticipate a Nike.com launch on November 21st.

In related sneaker news, the Air Jordan 1 Low has recently appeared in compelling new styles.

Images: Nike

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UB40 singer, trumpeter, percussionist and toaster Astro has died, following “a very short illness”, it has been confirmed.

Astro – whose real name was Terence Wilson – died today (November 6). He was 64 years old.

A tweet on the Ali Campbell and Astro Twitter account shared the sad news with fans, saying they were “absolutely devastated and completely heartbroken” by his death. “The world will never be the same without him,” they added. “We ask you to please respect his family’s privacy at this incredibly difficult time.”

We are absolutely devastated and completely heartbroken to have to tell you that our beloved Astro has today passed away after a very short illness. The world will never be the same without him.

We ask you to please respect his family’s privacy at this incredibly difficult time. pic.twitter.com/GRDjtApyzy

— ALI CAMPBELL & ASTRO (@UB40) November 6, 2021

A message was also posted on the official UB40 Twitter account. “RIP ASTRO,” it read. “We have heard tonight, the sad news that ex-member of UB40, Terence Wilson, better know as Astro, has passed away after a short illness. Our sincere condolences to his family.”

RIP ASTRO

We have heard tonight, the sad news that ex-member of UB40, Terence Wilson, better know as Astro, has passed away after a short illness.
Our sincere condolences to his family

UB40 pic.twitter.com/6huxc1wN8k

— UB40 (@UB40OFFICIAL) November 6, 2021

The musician was a founding member of the Birmingham reggae and pop group in 1979, remaining in the line-up until 2013. He later formed a new version of the band with Campbell and Mickey Virtue.

With the original version of UB40, Astro released 18 studio albums, including the 1983 chart-topper ‘Labour Of Love’, which spawned the Number One single ‘Red Red Wine’, and 1985’s ‘Baggariddim’, which boasted the Chrissie Hynde collaboration ‘I Got You Babe’. His last record with the band was 2013’s ‘Getting Over The Storm’.

In a statement announcing his decision to leave the band, Astro said the group was like a “rudderless ship” and cited a “serious lack of communication between the band and management”, as well as the musical direction the band had gone in on ‘Getting Over The Storm’.

Tributes have begun to be paid online following the news of Astro’s death, with fans calling the Birmingham musician a “Brum legend”.

“Sad to read of Astro’s passing,” one Twitter user said. “I grew up listening to UB40, Signing Off is such a brilliant album today. Saw him a few times down the Blues, always with a smile and always got a great reception.”

Sad to read of Astro’s passing. I grew up listening to UB40, Signing Off is such a brilliant album today. Saw him a few times down the Blues, always with a smile and always got a great reception. #bcfc #UB40

— Mark Rice (@StaffsMark) November 6, 2021

Another added: “UB40 were the bedrock of my youth. They’ve been integral to my adult years. Anyone who knows me will have unfortunately suffered either my poor karaoke or 3am control of the remote. Astro is a hero. Gutted. RIP.”

UB40 were the bedrock of my youth. They’ve been integral to my adult years. Anyone who knows me will have unfortunately suffered either my poor karaoke or 3am control of the remote.

Astro is a hero. Gutted. RIP. https://t.co/RgecXwJuZg

— Liam (@LiamWBAFC) November 6, 2021

See more tributes below.

Bugger. Hard to believe, kids, but when I saw UB40 on the “Signing Off” tour, they were absolutely brilliant. Hard, political reggae with a melodic edge and a brilliant groove, a packed house just bouncing all night, and Astro was brilliant. RIP https://t.co/u7xTLEVAm8

— Paul Blinkhorn (@R1100GSBlueNose) November 6, 2021

R.I.P Astro One of the best in a brilliant band. Thoughts are with your family and friends #ub40 #RatInTheKitchen #sad pic.twitter.com/t8tGIxPkdz

— emma ralley (@emmajane72) November 6, 2021

Sad news indeed. A Brum legend. #UB40 #ASTRO #Birmingham #WestMidlands https://t.co/lYy53IwHtk

— Daren Carpmail (@DCarpmail) November 6, 2021

Such sad news about the lovely Astro from UB40 , have great memories of listening and dancing to UB40 and Astro’s distinctive and beautiful voice. RIP Astro https://t.co/lvHIoGKdwV

— TJ Hilton (@tjhilton1) November 6, 2021

R.I.P Astro Balsall Heath/Moseleys finest him and @UB40 done a lot to put Birmingham music on the map and never forgot where he came from often seen him round the ends condolences to his family and friends

— Martan smith (@martan_smith) November 6, 2021

Very sad news. Astro and UB40 gave voice to the many people neglected and marginalised in 80s Britain. They had a real social conscience expressed through their music. Rest in power Terence https://t.co/kZSn6Jgry8

— Joe Donnelly (@kildarejoe) November 6, 2021

RIP ASTRO – TRUE LEGEND AND BIRMINGHAM HOME GROWN TALENT. #UB40

— Donna Thomas (@DonnaThomas54) November 6, 2021

RIP Astro. UB40, opened doors to musical adventures I continue to explore and – crucially – adore. Football-aside, your (and the band’s) influence brought sunshine to an otherwise dreary childhood. @UB40

— HanrahanrahAnthonyGrant#42 (@Safehandsstfc1) November 6, 2021

The post Tributes paid to UB40 toaster Astro who has died appeared first on NME.

Ed Sheeran, who is out of his isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 and will appear as the musical guest on SNL Saturday night (Nov. 6) as planned, spoke about his diagnosis and recent recovery in a new interview with Howard Stern.

The singer-songwriter explained the timeline of his experience with COVID-19 and said that his young daughter, 1-year-old Lyra, also tested positive at the time.

“Everyone was saying they were scrambling to find a replacement,” Sheeran said of rumors about his SNL appearance being affected, but “I was always playing that. I tested for COVID and I announced it a couple days afterwards because I had to cancel [some] stuff.”

Sheeran had shared his diagnosis just days before the release of his latest album, =, and earlier this week clarified that he out of quarantine and “excited to hit the ground running with work again, and SNL is still on.”

“It’s quite an odd thing getting that and then having to announce it to the world, and then suddenly like, I’m now out of it, and I’m still sort of being treated [like he has COVID]. It’s kind of an uncomfortable,” Sheeran admitted to Stern.

The Howard Stern Show radio host asked Sheeran, “Did you have heavy symptoms at all? I assume you were vaccinated,” to which the singer replied, “I was, yeah, but I was super ill and rundown before.”

“As soon as I got a cold, I just started testing every single day. I was just like, I want to make sure I don’t have it,” said Sheeran.

Sheeran talked about the busy schedule he had, waking up early to do promotion for his new album, and said, “I was really, really, really rundown and then just one day I caught it [COVID-19].”

“My wife was away, so, I was there with my daughter. Basically, it was me and my daughter for a week. She had it, too, so it was kind of heavy. Three days of really, really bad symptoms, I think,” Sheeran recalled.

Watch his interview clip with Stern below.

Houston officials have given an update on the investigation into what happened at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival last night (November 5).

The rapper’s Texas festival was the site of a tragic crowd surge that killed eight people and injured hundreds more.

Speaking at a press conference held in Houston, Texas earlier today, Mayor Sylvester Turner said the incident was “tragic on many different levels”. “This is a very, very active investigation and we will probably be at it for quite some time to determine what happened,” he said.

The mayor confirmed that the ages of the eight people who had died were 14, 16, 21, 23 and 27. One deceased person remains unidentified at present. Six of the eight victims families have been notified of their deaths.

Turner also gave an update on the number of hospitalisations from Astroworld, saying 25 people had been taken to hospital from the festival. At the time of the press conference, 13 of those people were still being treated, including five who were under 18. Four people had already been discharged.

“This incident is being thoroughly investigated and reviewed,” the mayor said. “It is important for us to ascertain what happened, what took place and what missteps occurred.”

A total of 528 Houston Police Department officers provided security for the event, while Live Nation also hired 755 private security officers to work at Astroworld 2021. Turner also noted that reports of the crush were known to authorities at 9:30pm and that the event ended at 10:10pm.

“There are a lot of rumours on social media,” he said. “Let me caution people not to buy into the rumours. Nothing is off the table [but] it is way too preliminary now to draw any conclusions.”

Chief Troy Finner of the Houston Police Department acknowledged one of those rumours – that someone at the festival had been injecting attendees with drugs. “We do have a report of a security officer, according to the medical staff that was out and treated him last night,” he said. “He was reaching over to restrain or grab a citizen and he felt a prick in his neck.

“When he was examined, he went unconscious. They administered Narcan, he was revived and the medical staff did notice a prick that was similar to a prick that you would get if somebody’s trying to inject [you]. That’s one part of it.”

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner CREDIT: Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images

Narcan is a brand name for the drug naloxone, which is used to revive someone after they have suffered an overdose.

Finner also confirmed that authorities’ investigation into the events at Astroworld 2021 would be a criminal investigation that would involve the police department’s homicide and narcotics divisions. “We leave no stones unturned,” Finner added.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo addressed previous issues at past editions of Astroworld, citing problems with crowd control and breaching of barricades at the 2019 festival. She said that this year there had been “stronger fencing, more and more robust barricades, more personnel and more security personnel” added to make the event safer. “I want to know and the community deserves to know if more needed to be done,” she said.

Hidalgo encouraged attendees to share any information they had about what took place with the authorities. “Rumours are not what we need, but there are some serious questions that need to be asked,” she said.

She also called for an “objective, independent investigation” to determine “what went on and how it could have been prevented and how – or if – this was a situation that was simply out of everybody’s hands”.

Travis Scott at Astroworld 2021 CREDIT: Rick Kern/Getty Images

Houston Fire Department Chief Sam Peña spoke about the capacity of the venue, NRG Park, saying that if officials had applied the “fire code assembly occupancy formula” that there could have been over 200,000 people allowed in the venue. “This venue was limited to 50,000,” he said.

“When we have large events, one of the things that we consider is that the crowd are sub-divided,” he continued to explain. “They had two separate stages in two separate areas. That was part of the plan. We had inspectors to ensure that the doors in and out of that venue remained open and unobstructed. These injuries did not occur as people tried to exit the venue. That was evident by the fact that once the event was terminated, that whole footprint was cleared out – 50,000 – within the hour.”

Scott made a statement on the tragedy earlier today, saying he was “absolutely devastated” by what had happened. “Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life,” he said. “I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.”

Fans who attended Astroworld 2021 have been sharing their accounts of the horrific incident online. Instagram user @seannafaith detailed their experience of trying to get camera crews to help raise the alarm and stop the show, only to be ignored. “I screamed people were dying over and over,” they wrote. “No one would listen.”

The post Houston officials give update on Astroworld investigation: “We leave no stones unturned” appeared first on NME.

With their previous adidas collection, Marimekko put an emphasis on print-making, adding patterns to silhouettes like the UltraBOOST DNA, the Stan Smith, Forum Lo, and much more. And now, the Finnish design house is directing their attention to the beloved Superstar, bringing all of the patterned energy to the shoe’s smaller parts.

So as not to appear too bold, the focal poppy print is only applied to the heel tab and the Three Stripes along the sides. Predominantly dressed in black, both of the aforementioned fixtures’ cream and orange florals distract little from the overall colorway, which seems largely inspired by the OG. Finally, “Gold Metallic” hits round out the upper, gilding the “Superstar” text across the lateral as well as the co-branding at the tongue.

Enjoy an official look at these below. As they’re currently available in Australia, it shouldn’t be long before we see them on adidas.com in the US.

In other news, the Yeezy 500 Ash Grey is releasing this month.

After MarketAvailable Now

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Nonito Donaire Jr. opted to take a day off from sparring and instead work the bags five weeks before the defense of his World Boxing Council bantamweight title against fellow Filipino Reymart Gaballo in California. The 38-year-old posted on YouTube his recent workout as he focused on his combinations and tried to improve both his […]

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He is keeping his optimism guarded, but commissioner Willie Marcial said that if the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) will be allowed to have spectators, the league will make sure to give fans a warm welcome. From free tickets to Christmas Day promos, the commissioner’s office wants to make sure everything is set once current health […]

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Richard Ashcroft has said that Netflix wants to make a docudrama about the ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ copyright dispute.

The Verve hit was the centre of an infamous copyright row with The Rolling Stones’ ex-manager Allen Klein over its sampling of the Stones’ ‘The Last Time’.

READ MORE: Richard Ashcroft – “Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1” review: stripped-back re-imaginings of indie classics

The dispute was resolved in 2019, with Ashcroft and The Verve no longer having to pay royalties to Klein’s company ABKCO. Speaking to the Daily Express, the band’s frontman said: “The way [the song] has come back to me is fantastic.”

He continued to say that Netflix was looking at making a docudrama about the dispute. “I saw an absolutely terrible script Netflix were going to do about ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’,” he said. “It was an insight into just how far from reality these shows can go.

Richard Ashcroft (Picture: Getty)

“It was an absolute piece of garbage. It’s quite scary someone wanted to make it and make people believe it was the reality. I hope it doesn’t happen.”

Ashcroft re-recorded The Verve’s hit single for his recent ‘Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1’ album. In a three-star review, NME said: “Opener ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ is a sprawling, symphonic masterpiece reworked acoustically to allow Ashcroft’s gravelly vocals to take centre stage over subtle piano keys and twanging guitar chords.

“If you can get past his dubious views on COVID, ‘Acoustic Hymns Vol.1’ is well worth a listen – and an excellent reminder of some of both Ashcroft and The Verve’s finest work.”

Meanwhile, in a recent interview, Ashcroft said people should “stop knocking” Ed Sheeran. “The problem is that we don’t celebrate when people are doing well in music. Look at Ed Sheeran, I’m buzzing at how huge he is here and in America. We can be too cynical about people who are doing all right. Let’s stop knocking him. He’s British and I know how hard it is to be huge in America.”

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During a news conference Saturday (Nov. 6) about the tragedy that claimed eight lives during Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival on Friday (Nov. 5) night, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner confirmed a report about an officer receiving a needle prick from an unknown person.

“We do have a report of a security officer, according to the medical staff that treated him last night, that he was reaching over to restrain or grab a citizen and he felt a prick in his neck,” Finner said during the news conference. The security officer went unconscious, was treated with Narcan and was successfully revived. Medical staff treating the security officer later noticed evidence of a prick mark in the man’s neck consistent with that of an injection.

During the same press conference, Fire Chief Samuel Peña confirmed “there were several, many instances where they administered Narcan on the scene.” Later, when asked by press whether any person other than the aforementioned security officer was pricked by an unknown needle, Finner replied, “Right now we have that one.”

2021 was robust in Air More Uptempo releases as the iconic retro model celebrated its 25th Anniversary. The return of the Asia-exclusive Hoop Pack, the re-release of the “Bulls”, and several other styles were regularly dropped throughout the year, ensuring no shortage of this popular classic.

Here’s some more good news: yet another take on the beloved Nike Air More Uptempo is arriving soon. Revealed here is a clean two-toned composition of white and black, with the dark shade capturing the oversized AIR overlay, logos, and corded pull-tabs on the tongue and heel. Nike takes the opportunity to inject some color contrast, adding primary colors of yellow, blue, and red underneath the huge lettering. The insoles also features a racy stripe detailing, although it’s not exactly clear what that design is meant to suggest.

Adult and grade school sizes are set to drop on Nike.com and partnering retailers soon, so stay tuned for a release.

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Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña is warning that the death toll could rise following the tragedy at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival on Friday night (Nov. 5).

At press time, eight people died and about 300 were injured as Scott performed the closing set during the festival’s opening night at NRG Park in Houston, with fans surging toward the stage and pushing so close together that they reportedly couldn’t move their arms or breathe.

“What we know is that we have eight people who have died as a result of the injuries suffered at at that event,” Peña told MSNBC on Saturday morning. “That number may rise, because we did transport more people in critical condition. We took 11 that they were performing CPR on en route to the hospital.”

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said that the ages of those killed at the Live Nation-produced festival were between the ages of 16 and 23. The names of the casualties have not yet been made public. A press conference is set for 4 p.m. ET on Saturday with police, firefighters, Turner and others involved in the ongoing investigation.

During a press conference on Friday night, Peña said a “mass casualty” event occurred at 9:38 p.m. local time at NRG Park, with an estimated 50,000 people in attendance. He said trouble began shortly after 9 p.m. when “the crowd began to compress toward the front of the stage and that caused some panic and started causing some injuries. People began to fall out and become unconscious and that created additional panic.” Peña said Astroworld’s medical tent and staff was “quickly overwhelmed” by the scale of the incident, after which the Houston fire department stepped in and dispatched 50 units.

The fire chief added on Saturday morning that authorities “still don’t know what caused the initial surge of crowd up toward the stage, but the Houston Police Department is looking at video that was taken from cameras that were present there for security purposes and other reasons.”

Peña also noted that Scott and Live Nation made the call to “essentially pull the plug” on the event on Friday “when the when the situation started to escalate.” Astroworld representatives confirmed that the second day of the festival, schedule for Saturday evening, has been canceled as a result of the tragedy.

“We will be dissecting this thing in its entirety,” the fire chief said. “I’ve been doing this for 27 years and I have never seen something like this.”