Organizers of the Astroworld Festival and Houston officials had an idea that the crowd at the music festival planned by famous rapper and Houston native Travis Scott could be hard to handle. A similar situation happened two years prior when Scott last had his Astroworld Festival. 

RELATED: Multiple Killed, Hundreds Injured at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival

According to The New York Times, they prepared themselves by bringing on dozens of officers from the Houston Police Department, and the concert organizer, Live Nation, hired additional private security. 

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner met with Scott before he took the stage on Nov. 5 and expressed his worries about the energy in the crowd. He knew the rapper on a personal level and believed he was attempting to do good things in his hometown. 

“I expressed my concerns regarding public safety and that in my 31 years of law enforcement experience I have never seen a time with more challenges facing citizens of all ages, to include a global pandemic and social tension throughout the nation,” Finner said in a statement. “I asked Travis Scott and his team to work with HPD for all events over the weekend and to be mindful of his team’s social media messaging on any unscheduled events. The meeting was brief and respectful, and a chance to share my public safety concerns as Chief of Police. 

RELATED: Officials Investigating Deaths at Astroworld Festival as Fallout Begins

The investigation into this tragic incident continues as eight people lost their lives in the crush and chaos, including two teenagers shortly after Scott came on stage.