Posts Raise Fears About What Bass Might Do to Colosseum

The man who just took charge of Rome's top tourist attraction wants to set the record straight: The Colosseum will not 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 amphitheater in an interview with an Italian newspaper, the AP reports. Then social media posts took hold: "Massive raves" were imminent, multiple accounts trumpeted, including AI-generated images of multicolor light beams shooting from the arena into the heavens.

• Respect the space: Quilici said he heard complaints from archaeologists and other Romans dismayed that 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 Monday. 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.

• Turn it down: "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. He maintains social media spread the "opposite of what I said." Concerts could be acoustic or jazz, he said, offering Sting as an example. The amphitheater could host poetry readings, dance performances and theater productions once the existing small platform is expanded. Also in the plans: historical reenactments of gladiatorial battles rooted in academic research.
• Past shows: 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.