Was that an earthquake in Rome? No, it was a Travis Scott concert
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Travis Scott’s show in Rome at the Circus Maximus has raised concerns about the risks posed by crowds.
PHOTOS: AFP, NYTIMES
ROME – When American rapper Travis Scott asked Rome to make some noise at the Circus Maximus on Monday, Rome cheerfully complied.
The 60,000-odd spectators jumped so vigorously that some locals panicked, thinking that an earthquake was under way.
The concert coincided with the release of Scott’s chart-topping new album, Utopia. He was joined by Ye, the American rap star formerly known as Kanye West.
The show in Rome marked Ye’s first concert appearance after a series of anti-Semitic remarks on social media and in interviews in 2022.
When he came onstage, the crowd roared and jumped some more.
Romans, including those living some distance from the ancient site, took to social media to lament shaking windows, beds and chandeliers.
On Tuesday, the Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said that its national seismic network stations “clearly registered the enthusiasm of Travis Scott fans in concert at Circus Maximus”.
A seismogram identified several points during the concert, which lasted under 90 minutes, “with evident peaks of jubilation” on the part of fans.
Ms Alfonsina Russo, who oversees the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, called on city officials to stop using the historical monument for mass events and to put it to more cultural use.
“Musical events can be held, but they should be carefully chosen like opera,” Ms Russo told AGI news agency. “Rock concerts are best held in stadiums to not endanger public safety.”
There was a moment of panic during the Scott show. Italian news media reported that around 60 people had to be treated for eye and throat irritation, possibly because someone in the crowd used pepper spray.
Attempts to reach the organisers of Scott’s concert were unsuccessful.
In 2021, 10 people were crushed to death and hundreds more were injured at a concert by Scott
Scott was investigated, but a grand jury declined to indict him or others connected to the festival.
On Wednesday, Mr Alessandro Onorato, Rome’s City Council member responsible for tourism and events, defended the mega-concerts.
Beyond the money spent by concertgoers visiting from around the world, he said, fees to use the Circus Maximus for concerts in 2022 brought €2.1 million (S$3.1 million) into city coffers.
The funds were earmarked for the city department that maintains city-owned archaeological monuments, he added.
Without these fees, Roman taxpayers would have to pay up, he said in a Facebook live feed.
“There were zero incidents, zero people got hurt,” he said of Scott’s concert. NYTIMES
