Travis Scott’s recent show at Circus Maximus in Rome, featuring a surprise appearance from the artist formerly known as Kanye West, is now the subject of earthquake and pepper spray talk.
The sold-out event on Aug. 7, which served as a celebration of the release of Scott's long-teased Utopia album, was recently reported to have moved 60,000 tickets in two days. In fact, the excitement among attending fans was apparently seismic.
In an update shared in response to questions about a perceived earthquake from people in Rome, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said one of its stations had “clearly recorded the enthusiasm of" of La Flame fans.
"Looking at the seismogram that records the entire duration of the concert (about an hour and a half), there were several episodes in which the peak of exultation of the fans was very evident," the institute said, adding that this has also happened in the past, including earlier this year when Naples won its first football title in more than three decades.
The New York Times, which first pointed to the statement, also highlighted he following tweet from a seismologist in which fans’ collective instances of jumping was comparable to a 1.3-magnitude incident.
As for the aforementioned pepper spray, local news agency ANSA reported on Tuesday that “around 60 people” were treated at the show for “eye and throat irritation.” According to a report, local authorities are investigating the incident, which is speculated to have possibly been caused by pepper spray being used in the crowd.
It should be noted that a small amount of concertgoers needing treatment of a non-urgent variety is far from an uncommon occurrence at shows of this size. But in Scott’s case, these types of incidents are often given exaggerated news coverage due to the tragic Astroworld Festival crowd crush in 2021.
Also this week, CNN reported that a 14-year-old who climbed a wall while trying to sneak into Scott’s Rome show was injured after taking a fall. In the same report, archaeologist Alfonsina Russo is quoted as calling for no more “rock concerts” to be held at the Circus Maximum site.
At the center of all this is a debate regarding the future of such performances at the location, which in the past has also seen shows by The Rolling Stones and other bands. Alessandro Onorato, a councilor who heads Rome’s “majors events” and tourism division, is aiming for more. Speaking specifically on the Travis Scott event, per the Times, Onorato said there were no injuries.
Complex has reached out to reps for Travis Scott and Live Nation for additional comment.
As teased earlier this week, Scott is soon set to announce dates for an upcoming Utopia-promoting tour. "I miss the road," Scott said when sharing a poster for the tour. "I miss y'all."
Also on the horizon for Scott fans is the release of Harmony Korine's La Flame-starring new film Aggro Dr1ft. As previously reported, the new movie is part of the out-of-competition lineup for this year's Venice International Film Festival.
Meanwhile, Utopia is currently the No. 1 album in the U.S.
