At Least 60 Injured During Travis Scott Concert in Rome: Reports

Travis Scott attends the "The Idol" red carpet during the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, on May 22, 2023. Kristy Sparow/Getty Images

At least 60 people have been injured at a concert by rapper Travis Scott in Rome, Italy, on Aug. 7, according to multiple reports.

The Houston, Texas, native held the one-off show at Rome’s ancient Circus Maximus ahead of his upcoming “Utopia” tour and bought on stage an unexpected special guest, fellow rapper Kanye West, to perform in front of roughly 60,000 to 70,000 attendees.

While the concert began as usual, things reportedly took a turn for the worse when one individual allegedly sprayed pepper spray, with the resulting chaos ending with at least 60 people requiring medical attention, according to CNN.

It is not clear if the individual who allegedly sprayed the pepper spray was a concertgoer or a member of security.

Meanwhile, a 14-year-old was reportedly injured at the concert after falling four meters from a false wall they had climbed outside the venue in an effort to get a better look at the show, CNN reported.

The Epoch Times has contacted Mr. Scott’s representatives for comment.

Following the latest incident, Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, called for most performances at the Circus Maximus, an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium, to end.

“The Circus Maximus is a monument. It is not a stadium, not a concert hall,” she told Italian news service AGI. “These mega rock concerts put it at risk, including the Palatine Hill nearby,” she continued. “Rock concerts should be held in stadiums so as not to endanger public safety.”

Mr. Scott’s latest concert was initially set to take place at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, however, the date was ultimately canceled by Egyptian officials owing to “complex production issues” which meant that the show “could not be constructed in the desert.”

Astroworld Festival Leaves 10 Dead

The latest show marks the first for Mr. Scott since a Texas grand jury decided not to indict him in its criminal investigation of a deadly crowd surge at his ill-fated 2021 Astroworld Festival in Houston.

During that event, 10 people aged between 9 and 27 were killed and hundreds were injured following a crowd crush.

“He never encouraged people to do anything that resulted in other people being hurt,” Mr. Scott’s lawyer Kent Schaffer said of the grand jury’s decision in June, adding that the outcome was a “great relief.”

More than 500 lawsuits were filed over the deaths and injuries at the concert, including many against concert promoters Live Nation and Mr. Scott, amounting to millions of dollars.

The rapper has reportedly settled at least three lawsuits regarding the incident, the latest involving the family of John Hilgert, a 14-year-old who died during the incident.

As well as the latest injuries at the concert in Rome, Mr. Scott is also facing backlash over Mr. West’s appearance on stage at the event.

Mr. West, also known as Ye, has faced criticism over his comments posted on social media, including a Swastika merged with a Star of David, that were deemed anti-Semitic by many.

The rapper’s account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, was reinstated in July following an eight-month suspension but will not be eligible for monetization, and advertisements will not appear next to his posts.

Mr. West has not yet posted on the account.