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Italian Authorities Cancel Kanye West and Travis Scott Concerts in Reggio Emilia Over Public Order Concerns
The prefect of Reggio Emilia prohibited two consecutive July concerts at the RCF Arena, citing public order and safety concerns tied to prior cancellations and expected large crowds.
May 30, 3:01 PM·1m read1 source
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The prefect of Reggio Emilia ordered the cancellation of a Kanye West concert scheduled for 18 July at the Pulse of Gaia festival and a Travis Scott concert set for 17 July at the Hellwatt festival, both at the RCF Arena. Salvatore Angieri, the prefect, issued the prohibition after a government meeting that examined public order and safety issues linked to the two events.
The RCF Arena holds approximately 103,000 spectators, and the statement noted the close scheduling of the concerts within 24 hours.
The government statement said the decision also considered the cancellation of previous concerts by the American rapper in other countries and the real risk of counter-demonstrations. Concerns from the local Jewish community over previous antisemitic remarks by West were cited as a factor in the assessment.
West, 48, who changed his name to Ye in 2021, released a song called Heil Hitler in 2025 and previously advertised a swastika T-shirt on his website.
He wrote: “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. ” His show in Marseille, France, was postponed in April after he was denied a UK visa earlier that month. West has had three number one singles and three number one albums in the UK and is best known for songs including Black Skinhead, Gold Digger and Stronger.
He is scheduled to perform at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium on Saturday and remains due to appear at the GelreDome football stadium in Arnhem, the Netherlands, on 6 and 8 June. Travis Scott has had five UK top 10 singles and one number one album with Utopia. Ten people aged between nine and 27 died at his Astroworld festival in Houston, Texas, in 2021 after fans surged towards the stage.
