Travis Scott‘s Utopia concert at Rome’s Circus Maximus on Monday made headlines for a surprise appearance by disgraced rapper Kanye West (who now goes by Ye), but according to CNN the show was newsworthy for a number of reasons that had nothing to do with the music.
The network reported that at least 60 people required medical attention after someone sprayed pepper spray into the audience during the show according to Rome’s civil protection department; at press time it was unclear if the pepper spray was employed by venue security or a fan. A 14-year-old who climbed a false wall in an attempt to see the show for free was also reportedly injured after falling 13 feet.
In addition, the director of the city’s Colosseum has reportedly called for a halt to shows at the adjacent Circus venue after the Scott crowd’s exuberance sparked fears from locals that they’d experienced an earthquake. “The Circus Maximus is a monument. It is not a stadium, not a concert hall,” director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, Alfonsina Russo, reportedly told Italian news service AGI; her spokesperson confirmed the comments to CNN.
“These mega rock concerts put it at risk, including the Palatine Hill nearby,” she added in a statement calling for an end to shows at the ancient Roman chariot-racing and entertainment venue that has hosted Guns N’ Roses, Bruce Springsteen and Imagine Dragons shows this summer as well. “Rock concerts should be held in stadiums so as not to endanger public safety.” Russo said that only opera and ballet performances should be held at the Maximus, a grassy standing-only oval arena that has no formal seating.
Italy’s fire service told CNN that they received “hundreds” of calls from concerned citizens that there had been an earthquake in Rome around 10:30 p.m. local time. A local reporter said that the apparent earth movement was likely the result of the 70,000 fans jumping up and down to Scott’s music, especially when special guest Ye took the stage.
Spokespeople for Scott and Live Nation had to returned requests for comment at press time.
Scott announced the Utopia show on Aug. 1 after a previously announced show at the pyramids of Giza in Egypt was cancelled due to what his team called “complex production issues.” The Maximus show was the first gig of what Scott has promised is a soon-to-be-announced U.S. and European tour in support of the album that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It will also mark his return to the road following a long layoff from live performance in the U.S. following the 2021 Astroworld tragedy in his hometown of Houston, in which 10 people died and hundreds were seriously injured during a crowd crush.
While a grand jury in Houston decided in June that neither Scott nor the organizers of the festival would face criminal charges in the incident following a 19-month investigation, Scott and Live Nation are still facing a number of civil lawsuits over Astroworld.
