Concertgoers create ‘chaotic’ scene at NRG Arena after rapper Playboi Carti cancels Houston show

HOUSTON – A mob of concertgoers created a “chaotic” scene at NRG Arena after a concert held by rapper Playboi Carti was quietly canceled.

According to pictures and video shared by fans with KPRC 2, fans were lined up for the Saturday night concert held at NRG Arena, where things began to turn for the worst.

Jordan Martinez was one of thousands waiting to see rapper Playboi Carter perform.

“We showed up like an hour early and everybody started going crazy. It was chaos. It was a war zone honestly. It was mosh pits, fights and everything,” Jordan Martinez said.

“And it was pouring rain and a lot of people were getting upset because it was raining and they wouldn’t let us in,” Hannah Sampson said.

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One fan tweeted that they apparently stood in line as the rain fell for three hours, only to wait inside for another three hours, and that was when fans were reportedly notified it was canceled. It was unclear who made the final decision to cancel the show at the last minute.

The cancellation led to fans knocking over metal detectors and standing atop of cars, officials from NRG confirmed with KPRC 2. No word if there were any injuries.

Hannah Sampson was in the middle of the chaos.

“Everybody just started pushing everybody and we broke down all the metal detectors,” Sampson said.

Houston Police showed up. In some videos, officers were on horses trying to get concertgoers to move back.

“Some people were actually kicking the horses. I don’t know why, but they were kicking the horses. Somebody got trampled. It was a security guard and an ambulance,” Sampson said.

After spending hundreds of dollars on tickets and traveling, it wasn’t the news fans like Martinez wanted to hear. He had a message to rapped Playboi Carti.

“Playboi come back. It was bad, but Houston needs a show out here,” he said.

Houston police are still investigating the incident. KPRC 2 has reached out to both NRG and concert promoters for Playboi Carti for a statement on the incident.

NRG Park released the following statement in regards to the incident:

“Last night in the interest of public safety and on the advice from the Houston Police Department, the Playboi Carti concert scheduled for NRG Arena was canceled. The safety of all guests, staff, and artists is our highest priority.”


About the Author:

A graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, Ana moved to H-Town from sunny southern California in 2015. In 2020, she joined the KPRC 2 digital team as an intern. Ana is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, a catmom of 3, and an aquarium enthusiast. In her spare time, she's an avid video gamer and loves to travel.