Travis Scott’s Explosive Rome Concert Causes Earthquake Scare Among Nearby Residents
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Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images
Travis Scott’s concert earlier this week at Circus Maximus in Rome was so boisterous that folks around assumed there was an earthquake. When introducing Kanye West as his surprise guest during Monday night’s show, the US rapper implored the 60,000-strong crowd to make some noise. According to CNN, the throng leapt and screamed so loudly that Italy’s fire service said it had gotten ‘hundreds of calls’ from frightened citizens who thought there had been an earthquake in the Italian capital. Romans, including those who live far from the location, also posted on social media about shaking windows, mattresses, and chandeliers, with remarks like ‘Anyone experiences an earthquake?’
60 people at Travis Scott’s concert in Rome needed medical attention after someone sprayed pepper spray into the crowd.
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 10, 2023
The show also sparked fears of an earthquake by residents due to fans jumping up and down leading to the director of Rome’s Colosseum to halt future concerts. pic.twitter.com/iElkR9jYg4
Giovanni Diaferia, a seismologist at the Italian Institute of Geophysics & Volcanology, said that 60k people, each weighing 70 kg, jumping and hitting 0.15 m from the ground would radiate energy equivalent to a magnitude 1.3 earthquake. Enough to be detected by a seismic station 9 km distant.”The institute also stated on Tuesday that its national seismic network stations ‘clearly recorded the enthusiasm of Travis Scott listeners in concert at Circus Maximus’. Archaeologists are now debating whether musical performances should be staged at the ancient site where chariot racing took place over 2,000 years ago.
An #earthquake at the #TravisScott concert in in #Rome?
— Giovanni Diaferia (@GioviDiaferia) August 9, 2023
60k people, 70kg each, jumping and reaching 0.15 m from ground radiate and energy of
E = 6.2 MJ
which is equivalent to a magnitude 1.3 earthquake, at each jump!! Enough to be recorded by a seismic station 9 km away! pic.twitter.com/inFfBNxUiG
The Crowd At Travis Scott’s Concert In Rome Was So Rowdy That Nearby Residents Thought There Was A Earthquake
A performance by US rapper Travis Scott on Monday raised e arthquake fears at Rome’s Colosseum, prompting the director to request cancellations of concerts at the nearby Circus Maximus. The Italian fire service acknowledged to CNN that it had received “hundreds of calls” from frightened people who feared an earthquake had struck the Italian capital. Around 10.30 p.m. local time, Romans went to social media, asking, “Anyone feel an earthquake?” CNN reporter in Rome, however, agreed with local officials that the shaking was not caused by nature. Tens of thousands of people leapt up and down to the music, particularly when Scott brought out a surprise guest: Kanye West. It was the first time West, also known as Ye, had played since he stirred outrage with a string of anti-Semitic remarks. Alfonsina Russo, the director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, has now called for a halt to performances at the Circus Maximus, the historic Roman chariot-racing and entertainment facility. Russo has requested that only opera and ballets be performed at the grassy oval arena, which has no seats and forces spectators to stand on the flat surface or sit on the outer borders. “The Circus Maximus is a historical monument.”
“It’s not a stadium or a concert hall,” she told the Italian news agency AGI. Her representative afterwards confirmed the comments to CNN. It, along with Palatine Hill nearby, is at risk as a result of mega rock concerts,” she said. “Rock concerts ought to be held in stadiums to protect public safety.” The Circus Maximus, located near the Colosseum at the bottom of Palatine Hill, has become a popular music venue in recent years. It has hosted Imagine Dragons, Guns N’ Roses, and Bruce Springsteen this summer. Travis Scott’s “Utopia” event was first announced on August 1 after his July 28 show at the Giza Pyramids in Egypt was cancelled due to “complex production issues.” The 70,000 tickets were quickly sold out. According to Rome’s civil protection department, at least 60 individuals required medical attention when someone fired pepper spray into the musical throng on Monday. In addition, a 14-year-old boy who scaled a false wall to gain free admission to the performance was injured when he fell four metres (13 feet). “Utopia” is Travis Scott’s first full-length album since the disastrous 2021 Astroworld Festival in Houston, where an audience crush killed ten people and injured hundreds more.
