A Travis Scott concert at an ancient venue in Rome caused tremors as bad as a magnitude-1.3 earthquake, angering archaeologists

• Travis Scott held a concert in Rome that caused tremors equivalent to a magnitude 1.3 earthquake.
• The head of an archaeological site expressed anger, saying concerts posed a risk to ancient sites.

A Travis Scott concert held at an ancient site in Rome on Monday caused a seismic event, alarming residents of the Italian capital and angering archaeologists, according to media reports.

The 60,000-crowd concert took place at the Circus Maximus, where chariot races took place in Ancient Roman times, and coincided with the release of Scott's new album "Utopia."

According to CNN, Italy's fire service received hundreds of calls from concerned residents, many of whom feared there had been an earthquake.

In reality, the tremors were the result of excitable concertgoers jumping up and down, according to reports.

The miniature 'earthquake' angered archaeologists, with Alfonsina Russo, director of the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, criticizing the city for using the Circus Maximus for concerts.

Russo told AGI, an Italian news agency, that "mega-concerts" put archaeological sites at risk, adding that it would be better to use the sites for opera and ballet, instead of high-energy concerts.

The Archaeological Park of the Colosseum said it was not immediately able to respond to Insider's request for comment.

Giovanni Diaferia, a seismologist at the Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, wrote on X that: "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."

The geophysics institute confirmed on Tuesday that its national seismic network stations "clearly registered the enthusiasm of Travis Scott fans in concert at Circus Maximus," according to a translation by The New York Times.

The note also said that the seismic station recorded a "very large peak" at 9:34 p.m., which corresponded with Scott taking to the stage.

There were several other moments during the concert when peak enthusiasm among Scott's fans was clearly evident, the institute added.

Scott's concert also drew negative attention for other reasons.

About 60 fans were injured when someone used pepper spray in the crowd, according to Rome's civil protection department, per CNN.

This follows an infamous incident in 2021 when Scott's Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas, resulted in a crowd crush that left 10 people dead and hundreds injured.

On Monday, Scott also brought out Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, which was his first live appearance since he made a series of antisemitic comments last year.

The Utopia concert in Rome was originally set to take place on July 28, at the Pyramids of Giza, but it was canceled after Egyptian officials took issue with the rapper, Insider previously reported.

The Egyptian Syndicate of Musical Professionals, a state body that issues permits for concerts in the country, canceled Scott's permit, accusing him of carrying out "strange rituals" that go against Egypt's cultural identity.

Representatives for Scott did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.