SHARE
COPY LINK

CIRCUS

David Gilmour to play Rome’s ancient Circus Maximus

Former Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour has announced two gigs in Rome this summer at the iconic Roman hippodrome, Circus Maximus.

David Gilmour to play Rome's ancient Circus Maximus
David Gilmour will play two dates in Rome this summer. Photo: Pierre Andrieu/AFP

Gilmour will play on July 2nd and 3rd, with tickets going on sale from 10am on April 7th.

Priced between €60 and €120, tickets will be available from rockinroma.com, postepaysound.it, ticketone.it and davidgilmour.com.

Each person will only be allowed to purchase a maximum of four tickets.

Aside from the two days in Rome, 70-year-old Gilmour has already confirmed two dates at the Roman Amphitheatre of Pompeii (July 7th-8th ) and a further two at the Roman Amphitheatre of Verona (July 10th-11th) .

Gilmour's Italy dates come as part of a worldwide tour following the launch of his fifth solo album, “Rattle That Lock”, released in September 2015.

American rocker Bruce Springsteen will also have the privilege of performing at Circus Maximus on July 16th.

The last band to be granted permission to perform among the ancient ruins was The Rolling Stones, who attracted more than 60,000 fans to their gig in June 2014.

But the concert sparked controversy after it was revealed that the rockers paid just €8,000 to use the venue.

The decision to charge such a low price was defended by ex-Mayor Ignazio Marino, who argued that the event brought €25 million to the city’s coffers in just one day.

Still, as a result the city’s authorities upped fees for “occupying public land”, bringing the cost of hiring Circus Maximus to up to €200,000. 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

PROTESTS

Thousands protest in Rome against fascist groups after green pass riots

An estimated 200,000 people descended on Rome on Saturday to call for a ban on fascist-inspired groups, after protests over Italy's health pass system last weekend degenerated into riots.

A general view shows people attending an anti-fascist rally called by Italian Labour unions CGIL, CISL and UIL at Piazza San Giovanni in Rome
People attend an anti-fascist rally called by Italian Labour unions CGIL, CISL and UIL at Piazza San Giovanni in Rome on October 16th, 2021. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)

Carrying placards reading “Fascism: Never Again”, the protesters in Piazza San Giovanni — a square historically associated with the left — called for a ban on openly neofascist group Forza Nuova (FN).

FN leaders were among those arrested after the Rome headquarters of the CGIL trade union — Italy’s oldest — was stormed on October 9th during clashes outside parliament and in the historic centre.

Analysis: What’s behind Italy’s anti-vax protests and neo-fascist violence?

A man holds a placard reading "yes to the vaccine" during an anti-fascist rally at Piazza San Giovanni in Rome

A man holds a placard reading “yes to the vaccine” during an anti-fascist rally at Piazza San Giovanni in Rome on October 16th, 2021. Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

“This is not just a retort to fascist ‘squadrismo’,” CGIL secretary general Maurizio Landini said, using a word used to refer to the fascist militias that began operating after World War I.

IN PICTURES: Demonstrators and far right clash with police in Rome after green pass protest

“This piazza also represents all those in Italy who want to change the country, who want to close the door on political violence,” he told the gathered crowds.

Last weekend’s riots followed a peaceful protest against the extension to all workplaces of Italy’s “Green Pass”, which shows proof of vaccination, a negative Covid-19 test or recent recovery from the virus.

The violence has focused attention on the country’s fascist legacy.

Saturday’s demonstration was attended by some 200,000 people, said organisers, with 800 coaches and 10 trains laid on to bring people to the capital for the event.

Workers from the Italian Labour Union (UIL) react during an anti-fascist rally in Rome

Workers from the Italian Labour Union (UIL) react during an anti-fascist rally in Rome on October 16th, 2021. Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

It coincided with the 78th anniversary of the Nazi raid on the Jewish Ghetto in Rome.

Over 1,000 Jews, including 200 children, were rounded up at dawn on October 16th, 1943, and deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

General Secretary of the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), Maurizio Landini (C) delivers a speech as Italian priest Don Luigi Ciotti (R) looks on

General Secretary of the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), Maurizio Landini (C) delivers a speech as Italian priest Don Luigi Ciotti (R) looks on during the anti-fascist rally in Rome. Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

“Neofascist groups have to be shut down, right now. But that has to be just the start: we need an antifascist education in schools,” university student Margherita Sardi told AFP.

READ ALSO: Covid green pass: How are people in Italy reacting to the new law for workplaces?

The centre-left Democratic Party, which has led the calls for FN to be banned, said its petition calling on parliament to do so had gathered 100,000 signatures.

SHOW COMMENTS