The Kanye West concert at the Pulse of Gaia Festival at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia on 18 July has been cancelled due to ‘public order and safety issues’, with Travis Scott’s event at the same venue also scrapped
A Kanye West concert in Italy has been axed over “public order and safety issues”. The rapper, 48, who rebranded himself as Ye in 2021, was set to headline the Pulse of Gaia Festival at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia on July 18. However, city prefect Salvatore Angieri pulled the plug on the event following “concerns” raised by the local Jewish community regarding West’s previous antisemitic comments.
However, the Mirror understands that a source close to Ye has disputed these claims. A show scheduled for July 17 featuring fellow American rapper Travis Scott at the Hellwatt Festival has also been scrapped, as the two events were booked on back-to-back dates.
Scott has previously faced fierce backlash after 10 people, aged between nine and 27, tragically lost their lives at his Astroworld festival in Houston, Texas, in 2021, when crowds surged towards the stage.
A translated statement released by the Reggio Emilia authorities following a meeting to determine the concerts’ fate read: “The meeting was dedicated to examining the public order and safety issues associated with the American artist’s (West) concert and the Travis Scott event, also scheduled at the RCF Arena.
“Based on the assessments made during the committee meeting and further investigations into safety and security aspects, the prefect… (ordered) the prohibition of both concerts.
“The decision concerns two events scheduled for consecutive dates at the RCF Arena, a venue with a capacity of approximately 103,000 spectators, and was made to ensure public order and safety.
“Given the close temporal connection between the events and the large crowds expected within 24 hours. 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.”
Back in April, West’s performance in Marseille, France, was called off after he was refused entry to the UK earlier that month, resulting in the scrapping of his headline slots at London’s Wireless Festival amid fury over antisemitic comments.
West dropped a track called Heil Hitler in 2025 and had previously sold a swastika T-shirt on his website. He’s also faced fierce criticism for posting antisemitic tweets and claiming slavery was “a choice”.
In January, West purchased a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal to issue an apology, headlined: “To Those I’ve Hurt.” He wrote: “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.” He explained that his bipolar disorder caused him to spiral into “a four-month-long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life”.
Following the axing of his Wireless gigs, West pledged to meet London’s Jewish community “to listen”. West has notched up three number one singles and three chart-topping albums in the UK, with hits including Black Skinhead, Gold Digger and Stronger under his belt, while Scott has secured five UK top 10 singles and one number one album with Utopia. West is scheduled to take to the stage at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Turkey this Saturday, and remains set to perform at Vitesse Arnhem’s Gelredome football stadium in the Dutch city on June 6 and 8.
Both Scott and West have been approached for comment.
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