Raves at Rome’s ancient amphitheatre? New Colosseum director sets record straight

Rome: The man who just took charge of Rome’s top tourist attraction wants to set the record straight: the Colosseum won’t be hosting any electronic dance music parties on his watch.

Simone Quilici, director of the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, shared his plan to bring concerts to the almost 2,000-year-old amphitheatre in an interview with an Italian newspaper earlier this month, and social media proceeded to do what it all too often does. “Massive raves” were imminent, multiple accounts trumpeted alongside AI-generated images of multicolour light beams shooting from the arena into the heavens.

Quilici told The Associated Press that he heard complaints from archaeologists and ordinary Romans, dismayed their cultural heritage could be so desecrated. Even electronic music fans expressed concern online about the damage a whomping bass beat would inflict on an ancient structure that continues yielding new wonders, like the emperor’s secret passage that opens on October 27.

Concerts must respect the Colosseum as a “sacred space,” Quilici said, as it is integral to Roman identity and has become imbued with religious significance. Today, it is the site of the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession during Easter, traditionally presided over by the pope.

“The music must be carefully controlled. I mentioned certain artists - not by accident - who haven’t been rock’ for some time, who play calm music and attract a calm audience, because the important thing is that it’s not a wild crowd,” Quilici, 55, said Friday in his first interview with foreign media since taking over on October 20. “I joked about rock in moderation - that’s what I meant, a more subdued kind of music. But it was reported the opposite of what I said.”

Concerts could be acoustic or jazz, he said, offering Sting as an example. The amphitheatre could host poetry readings, dance performances and theatre productions once the existing small platform is expanded. Also in the plans: historical reenactments of gladiatorial battles rooted in academic research.

“There are people who are extremely knowledgeable about daily life in past eras, with a remarkable level of scientific accuracy. So these activities are very welcome within the Colosseum park,” Quilici said.

He stressed such presentations would be the antithesis of the shabbily costumed centurions who besiege the Colosseum by night, posing for photos with tourists and then harassing them for payment.

The Colosseum’s first concerts and performances will take place in no less than two years, he added.

Only a handful of concerts have taken place within the Colosseum over the years, including Ray Charles in 2002, Paul McCartney in 2003 and Andrea Bocelli in 2009. All were billed as special events and audience numbers were severely restricted.