Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley has shared an unfounded conspiracy theory that the deaths at a Travis Scott concert earlier in the month were part of a satanic ritual.
The rapper November 5 set at his Astroworld event left nine people dead and several more fighting for their lives. Since then, dozens of lawsuits have been filed and a slew of questions remain unanswered about what went wrong.
On Friday (November 12), Ace took to his Facebook to share a photo of what appears to be his right foot covered in a sock emblazoned with the words “Not Today Satan”, and he included the following message: “On tour w/ [my daughter] Monique & [my girlfriend] Lara…In regard to what happened in Houston TX…Our prayers go out to all the families who lost loved ones at the concert!…Seems like it was a ‘Satanic Ritual’ gone very wrong! They’ll Be Hell To Pay!!! For everyone who let those kids die! All people of every faith & religion should band together to stop this from ever happening again in America ??…God Bless!!!”
The conspiracy theory about a connection between Satan and what happened at Astroworld has been spreading online, with some TikTok videos including the hashtag #SaveTheChildren, a QAnon conspiracy theory that falsely alleges celebrities and politicians are running a child sex trafficking ring that harvests children’s blood in satanic rituals. Other videos on TikTok claimed that the stage, which looked like an upside down cross, opened a “portal to hell.” “The concert last night was a straight up satanic ritual and Scott didn’t even stop playing as people were dying and chaos broke out,” a Facebook post said. “8 people were killed at Travis Scott Astroworld Satanic concert,” another post claimed.
“If you don’t believe that there was nothing demonic about that whole concert, you are spiritually blind and I pray that God opens your eyes,” a man wrote in a post on TikTok that drew more than a million views in a day.
In Rolling Stone‘s November 8 article headlined “Satan, Not Travis Scott, Is to Blame for Astroworld Tragedy, TikTok Geniuses Declare”, the magazine wrote in part: “People have said the stage was shaped like an inverted cross leading to a portal to Hell, which they believe was represented by the arch-shaped set onstage. They also point to a shirt Scott wore at the show that depicts human figures walking through a door and emerging with what look like horns as further evidence that Scott was leading fans to hell and sacrificing people’s lives intentionally.”
Unsurprisingly, the “Satan” conspiracy theory has no credible basis. According to the Houston Chronicle, police and fire officials said a massive crowd started surging toward the stage around 9 p.m. leaving some panicked, struggling to breathe or underfoot, after they fell. A criminal investigation into the incident is underway, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
A week ago, Scott released a statement and a video offering condolences to the loved ones of the people who died. “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night,” he tweeted. “My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival.”
On tour w/Monique & Lara…In regard to what happened in Houston TX…Our prayers ? go out to all the families who lost…
Posted by Ace Frehley on Friday, November 12, 2021
