Upcoming Kanye West and Travis Scott concerts in Italy have been cancelled due to security concerns.
The two hip-hop stars were due to headline the Pulse of Gaia festival in the Reggio Emilia region in July, with Scott due to perform on July 18th, and Ye on July 19th.
However, after facing scrutiny over West’s history of antisemitism, a meeting was called between local officials earlier this week and a decision “was made to ensure public order and safety”.
Ultimately, they have chosen to cancel the shows, which they say was “based on the assessments made during the Committee meeting and further investigations into safety and security aspects”.
The statement explained, “The overall assessment also took into account the cancellation of previous concerts by the American rapper in other countries and the real risk of counter-demonstrations.”
While the two days of the festival, featuring Scott and West, have been pulled from the Pulse of Gaia website, it is still set to go ahead on July 5th, headlined by The Chainsmokers, and July 11th, headlined by Swedish House Mafia.
The first concerts of his European tour to fall amid backlash to the rapper’s history of antisemitism were his headline appearance at Wireless Festival in London, scheduled for July, after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly condemned West.
Subsequently, French authorities began exploring whether his concert in Marseille should proceed, leading to West to pull the plug on the show, writing on social media, “After much thought and consideration, it is my sole decision to postpone my show in Marseille, France until further notice.”
Days later, his visits to Poland and Switzerland were also axed.
His European tour is set to begin tonight (May 30th) in Istanbul. He will then play two shows in Arnhem, the Netherlands, on June 6th and 8th. West is also still set to visit Tirana, Milan, and Madrid before concluding in the Algarve, Portugal, on August 7th.
Before his UK shows were officially cancelled, West issued a public apology, which reads, “I’ve been following the conversation around Wireless and want to address it directly. My goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace and love through my music.”
West concluded, “I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in London in person, to listen. I know words aren’t enough. I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here.”
