Don Toliver was one of many musical guests at Alberta's week-plus-long Calgary Stampede festival, and he took the stage on Tuesday (July 8). However, an AllHipHop report indicates that a massive crowd almost led to a disaster similar to Don's label boss Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival in 2021.
For those unaware, that festival tragedy left 10 people dead and many other injured due to a crowd crush from overwhelming attendance and lack of organization and response. In the case of this Canada rodeo, a huge crowd for Toliver's set reportedly led to chaos among attendees. The Coca-Cola Stage held more people than its capacity could comfortably handle, physically overwhelming the crowd.
"It was just too crowded and way too pushy.… I stopped being able to breathe pretty quickly," one attendee reportedly remarked to a local media outlet. "Literally, I was being crushed. I’m 5’2.… I’m just there trying to survive."
Both security teams and Calgary police intervened as fans tried to see the "2000 EXCURSION" artist live. They pulled several concertgoers out for safety reasons but did not report official injuries despite the chaotic scene. In addition, AllHipHop reports that dehydration, various exit blocks, and at least one reported incident of violence – a stabbing – contributed to the pandemonium.
Don Toliver Calgary Stampede
Despite this avoided disaster, Calgary Stampede organizers reportedly maintained that the event was a success. The rodeo and festival began on July 4 and will run through this Sunday, July 14. However, officials will now consider extra safety measures for the remaining star-studded headliners and other big events from the festival.
This is a very hectic and dangerous sight regarding Don Toliver, and fortunately, it seems like the worst-case scenario did not come to life. As far as who should assume responsibility for this, it's still too early to tell. Still, precedent shows us that placing all blame on a single party or artist is a misrepresentative conclusion. Nevertheless, hopefully more information in the future sheds light on the situation and contributes to more proactive and preventative practices for everyone's safety.
Meanwhile, Don Toliver's gearing up for JACKBOYS 2, and is also dealing with some fresh hip-hop beef. We will see if he publicly addresses the Calgary Stampede situation.
