by Andrea Laffranchi, sent to Verona
The Roman rock band live at the Arena di Verona to a sold-out audience of 12,000: an hour and a half between hits and covers
They are not lost children. You are unforgivable. In fact, they have become the figurehead of Italian export music. The Mneskins return home. The first concert after the band’s global explosion reached the top of the global Spotify charts, captivating the most prestigious American talk shows and the Rolling Stones, who called them to open a show that took a place in the line-up of the most important music festivals , especially Coachella. It all started with the pavement of Via del Corso in Rome, a saucer for coins and the unhistorical belief that rocks will never die.
Damiano David the frontman, the others are not supporting actors. It is understood immediately. Finger on the switch, shut up and good first discharge. The song, which Sanremo won without complying with the rules of the Heart Love Festival and repeated with Eurovision, which here too broke the schemes of continental dance trash and provoked the supposed death of rock, makes the idea of the collective clear. Damiano in a pink double-breasted suit and matching striped trousers measures the stage from right to left, Vic De Angelis and Thomas Raggi, bass and guitar, conquer the front of the catwalk, Ethan Torchio bangs on drums.
We’re glad to be back, no more chatter that I’m just saying shit… and let’s play, Damiano shouts. Basically it’s rock. Energy, sweat, transgression. They have built a musical tradition far removed from their generation, more from parents who grew up on bread and rock in the 70’s, and the themes and needs of Gen Z, fluidity, freedom, sexual but mostly mental. Everyone can dream freely. And sometimes dreams come true. In the cast of their songs, the ride of In the Name of the Father and the tart sweetness of Coraline cross covers. Womanizer by Britney Spears has flair. After we left X Factor, the main criticism they gave us was that we only did the covers. Thank goodness Damiano says from the stage as he launches the Beggin, “which was once part of Four Seasons and has already surpassed a billion streams. English before the gates of the world opened and Italian. For your love electric fury. Dear CCCP, call out Manuel Agnelli to the stage, the first to believe in you on the X Factor. Gratitude.
Here comes the happy birthday for Vic, 22 years are celebrated like this. Music is no longer about politics. True. Aside from the fact that the issues of gender and freedom in general are political today, the Mneskins address the issue of the moment. There’s no such thing as Coachella-Fuck-Putin, but the yellow-blue flag is flying. We are fortunate to do this job and take the time to entertain people. Because there are times when we need to get out of that comfortable chair and help those who don’t have that privilege. I remember a speech by Charlie Chaplin a while ago that is more timely than ever for the weird games of this world. And in English one reads the monologue of the great dictator: freedom, avarice, dictatorship, humanity are the words that bring to mind the war in Ukraine. And here’s Gasoline, a post for a pro-Ukrainian fundraiser that doesn’t exist on platforms: He asks about the number of lives lost by those who use gasoline.
The Royal Stage hosts an acoustic set, Damiano and Thomas with Torna a casa and Ventanni. I Wanna Be Your Dog by the Stooges and the sex and rock and roll of I Wanna Be Your Slave (I’ll be back in the encore to wrap it all up) and a hug from a few dozen fans (and unfortunately cellphones) on stage for bruises on the elbows. The best is yet to come. We’re in America writing crazy songs that we’ll be hearing from you soon. In the hills of Hollywood they go from the pool to the studio with Max Martin and Ryan Tedder, people who wrote billionaire hits for Britney, Katy Perry, Beyonc. Until next time.
April 28, 2022 (Change April 28, 2022 | 23:05)
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