Afterhours
Live At Vulcanica 19.08.05

No, I can't believe it: the Afterhours, the greatest Italian band, are coming to Basilicata, to my hometown for a concert! Damn, I'm speechless, this is (if I'm not mistaken) the first time Manuel & co. are coming down here. The evening is warm, pleasant, and most importantly, I'm in the front row to enjoy the screams, the prowess, the hysteria of the Afterhours. Not of secondary importance: someone among the organizers didn't wet the ground, which, with the general pogo, will raise a cloud of dust and turn the event into a tiny Woodstock '94...

A few opening acts play great, but then around 10 PM the Afterhours come out: screams of joy and the band starts with a track from Afghan Wings whose title I don't know (they performed this piece at the Villaggio Globale on 09/11 with Greg Dulli but I don't know the title...) then they move on to tracks from Ballate Per Piccole Iene and the crowd shows they have digested the pearls of this fantastic album perfectly. Manuel asks if there is anyone from Naples in the audience (the disputes between the band and the Neapolis festival were still heated). After giving a good amount of space to the latest album, they move on to the band's historical songs, many from Hai Paura Del Buio?, none from Non È Per Sempre, and a few from Germi and Quello Che Non C'è.

Worth mentioning is a kick-ass version of Strategie where everyone is pogoing and the dust is flying up, Non Sono Immaginario performed with guitar and voice, Dea sung by Dario with the lyrics taped to the floor... Then I see Manuel telling the band to slow down a bit, so they gift us with a slightly slow version of Male Di Miele compared to the standard version, but the pogo never stops, not even in this soft version. The whole band is in top form and Manuel indulges in his specialty, being ironic: "Now a love song" and bam! they kick in with Sui Giovani D'oggi Ci Scatarro Su!! Then there's the ritual spit in the air, repeated several times during this concert. The band gives two encores before saying goodbye, but everyone waits for them below where they undergo the ritual of photos and autographs... A strong, ironic band that is available for their fans: what more could you want??