American rapper Travis Scott's concert at Rome's ancient Circus Maximus, on August 7, sparked fears of an earthquake. The 32-year-old artist kickstarted his Utopia tour at the Italian capital's monumental site. Notably, the concert coincided with the release of Travis Scott's new album Utopia.
During the concert, 60,000-odd spectators jumped vigorously as they were grooving to the electrifying beats. The tremors were such that locals thought an earthquake was underway.
Italy's fire service received “hundreds of calls” from residents who feared there had been an earthquake in the capital, CNN reported.
Giovanni Diaferia, a seismologist at the Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, explained the calculation in a tweet. He wrote, “60k people, 70 kg each, jumping and reaching 0.15 m from ground radiate an 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.”
Archaeologists, who were alarmed by the vibrations, have also questioned the wisdom of holding musical events at an ancient site, Italian news service AGI reported.
Alfonsina Russo, interim director of the Colosseum Archeological Park, has called for an end to performances at the Circus Maximus, an ancient Roman chariot-racing and entertainment venue.
She told the Italian news service AGI, “Only opera and ballets can be staged at the grassy oval arena, which has no seating."
Circus Maximus is a monument. It is not a stadium, not a concert hall. These mega rock concerts put it at risk, including the Palatine Hill nearby. Rock concerts should be held in stadiums so as not to endanger public safety.”
Travis Scott was accompanied by hip-hop veteran Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. As per a report by Page Six, when Travis Scott introduced Ye fans couldn't stop themselves from cheering and whistling for the Grammy winner. It was Ye's first concert appearance post antisemitic remarks on social media.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time that a Travis Scott concert has resulted in a tragedy. The rapper's concert at the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas, led to a crowd rush in November 2021, reported news agency Reuters.
