Kanye West, Travis Scott Italy Concerts Cancelled
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- Kanye West's 18 July Pulse of Gaia festival concert at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia was banned by prefect Salvatore Angieri, who cited "public order and safety issues" and concerns raised by the local Jewish community over West's prior antisemitic remarks.
- Travis Scott's 17 July Hellwatt festival show at the same RCF Arena was also prohibited; the prefect ruled that two festivals on consecutive days at the 103,000-capacity venue posed unacceptable risks, including the "real risk of counter-demonstrations."
- The Reggio Emilia government statement said the decision also factored in the cancellation of West's previous concerts in other countries; Scott separately faced criticism after 10 people aged 9-27 died at his 2021 Astroworld festival in Houston.
- West was denied a UK visa in April, triggering the cancellation of his Wireless festival headline slots in London, and his Marseille show was postponed — a pattern of European cancellations the Italian ruling now extends.
- West released a song called "Heil Hitler" in 2025 and previously advertised a swastika T-shirt on his website, though in January he took out a full-page Wall Street Journal ad apologizing and attributing his behavior to a four-month manic episode linked to his bipolar disorder.
- West is still scheduled to perform at Istanbul's Atatürk Olympic Stadium on Saturday and at the GelreDome in Arnhem on 6 and 8 June; both West and Scott have been contacted for comment.
Why it matters: The Reggio Emilia ban is the latest in a string of European cancellations for West — following his April UK visa denial and Wireless festival pullout — narrowing his remaining dates to Istanbul and Arnhem. For Scott, the ruling revives scrutiny of his Astroworld safety record in a new European market, as the prefect explicitly cited counter-demonstration risk at the 103,000-capacity RCF Arena.
