On Monday night, the residents of Rome were taken aback by what they initially believed to be an earthquake. However, the source of the rumbling was not tectonic activity, but rather a Travis Scott concert. With his latest album, Utopia, gaining immense popularity, the rapper performed at the historic Circus Maximus alongside Kanye West. The excitement generated by the crowd was so intense that it caused concern among the locals, leading hundreds of them to call emergency services. Seismologist Giovanni Diaferia estimated that the energetic jumping and bouncing of the concertgoers created a force equivalent to a magnitude 1.3 earthquake. While significant, this pales in comparison to the seismic impact of Taylor Swift’s recent concert in Seattle, which was likened to a magnitude 2.3 earthquake by a local seismologist.
The fallout from Scott’s performance has raised alarms within the archaeological community. Alfonsina Russo, in charge of overseeing the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, has cautioned against using Circus Maximus for future concerts. She emphasized that the venue is a monument, not a stadium or concert hall, and hosting large-scale rock concerts there poses risks to its preservation and public safety. Russo suggested that such events should be held in proper stadiums instead.
One contributing factor to the intense crowd response was Travis Scott bringing out Kanye West, a controversial figure who now goes by the name Ye. This marked West’s first public appearance since December, following a series of anti-Semitic outbursts that led to his banishment from various social media platforms. The inclusion of West added excitement and draw to the event.
Local media reports mentioned that approximately 60 individuals out of the 60,000-strong audience sought medical attention after the concert, complaining of eye and throat irritation. It was suggested that the cause behind these ailments may have been the use of pepper spray by someone present in the crowd.
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