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Rating: Sometimes one might wonder what the purpose of certain things is. What is the purpose of continuing to use a historic name when almost half of the historical members of the group have passed away, what is the purpose of returning after thirty years (excluding reunions) and presenting such altered versions of their classics.
Yet the meaning, in the sense of ultimate satisfaction, is there. Because frankly, in 2011, I would never have dreamed of going to see an Area concert, finding myself facing a proposition that would be reductive to call challenging and going home happy. A reunion born really by chance, intended to be a fleeting event (a one-night event in memory of Stratos), what was supposed to be purely a fleeting gimmick instead turned into a long, articulated tour with a courageous setlist, bringing the three (+ one) around a bit everywhere. But wait, it’s easy to say “Area.” Area who? For the less attentive: it’s written Area and it’s read Fariselli, Tavolazzi, and Tofani. That is what, alas, remains of the historic group, of that armed band (fortunately only with musical instruments) that during the early seventies came out with masterpieces like “Crac!”, “Caution Radiation Area” and “Arbeit macht frei”. Really, at first, it might leave you quite puzzled, there's not even poor Giulio Capiozzo anymore, who left us in 2000 due to cancer, but I can assure you that they truly succeeded in their endeavor. The endeavor of returning to play immortal pieces without the smell of mothballs, without eternally having the ghost of Stratos on stage, without descending into the ridiculous.
So, was Demetrio irreplaceable and still is? Said and done, he is not replaced: instrumental pieces, much to the chagrin of the texts of Gianni “Frankestein” Sassi. But what about “my machine gun is the double bass that shoots at your face”? That, if you will, can be left for the audience to sing, which, a pleasant surprise, consists of twenty-year-olds as well as fifty-year-olds. And the fact that the same members of Area could be fathers to many of those who buy their records and attend their concerts today should be yet another demonstration of the greatness of a group often misunderstood, perhaps due to lack of time and “head.”
The opportunity is ripe. The Festa de l'Unità, oops, Democratic Party Festival in Milan presents a nice evening dedicated to Cramps, a mythical truly alternative label from the past, with Claudio Rocchi, Eugenio Finardi, and Area as headliners. Amid nostalgia for a season, and a youth long gone, it all goes quite well, also thanks to rearranged tracks that do not appear too dated. The excellent performance of Finardi done, accompanied by an excellent six-piece group, the four, in a hurry because time is already short, are on stage. The official name of the group, wanting to be picky, on this occasion isn't the usual lengthy Area International Popular Group, but Area Reunion, to underscore the willingness to move forward by also proposing new music, born from the solo experiences of the three over these years. And it is precisely with the new incarnation of the group that the concert opens. Paolo Tofani, dressed in full Hare Krishna monk attire as he is, seated on a platform at the center of the stage, entertains himself with an instrument he devised, halfway between an electric guitar and a sitar, for an intro that honestly may seem challenging but certainly has its charm. Accompanied then by the great Ares Tavolazzi and the faithful Walter Paoli on drums, the concert begins to come to life. Once Patrizio Fariselli is seated behind the ivory keys, the show can finally start.
“Arbeit macht frei” bursts onto the stage with all its energy: having lost along the way the tons of synthesizers that accompanied them during the days that were (though here and there something is still there) the pieces are presented in what is essentially their basic structure, namely an avant-garde jazz made of a thousand improvisations and a technique that would be reductive to describe as extraordinary. Okay, at the time, the Italian progressive scene was made up of groups often little more than amateur, who almost stumbled into the recording studio by chance and were technically not monsters, so in this context, it’s an easy victory, but talent, style, personality aren’t things you buy at the market, they are innate. And the way the four navigate time changes and incredibly intricate passages cannot help but leave one open-mouthed. And in part, it also makes one forget that once there was a madman who played with diphonies and triphonies like few, perhaps unique. Perhaps the lack of a formal singer (during the tour various guests joined, from Mauro Pagani to Maria Pia De Vito up to Tofani himself) must have prompted the proposal of those pieces that can stand on their own even without voice, highlighting aspects and passages that perhaps remained background on LPs. Sure, an hour and a half of instrumental concert could seem unappealing, but it’s in cases like these that one sees the ability to entertain, to communicate and not get lost in technical evolutions for their own sake, which would kill such a project from the start. Since the reunion, Patrizio Fariselli has become somewhat the spokesperson of the group, introducing the pieces and having given most of the interviews so far. After “Nervi scoperti” it’s time for “Gerontocrazia,” welcomed with amazement. The introduction that characterized the track back then is not reproposed, replaced for the occasion by, guess what, a lullaby from the 2nd century. The desire to amaze in a cultured way, it seems, hasn't left them. And when it comes to twists, one cannot miss citing “Sedimentazioni,” a true wild card. “In this song, we play all the Area pieces, from the first to the last”. Excuse me? But Fariselli hadn’t told us that the pieces are overlaid, “sedimented” indeed, and that the speed is increased to the excessive. Nice find, which leaves a bit to be desired but which live has its effect. There is also time for a brief hint of “L'elefante bianco,” but the minutes really fly by and by now we are at the end. “Luglio, agosto, settembre (nero)” is dedicated, today as it was before, to the Palestinian people and hearing it again, even if forty years after the original, mutilated of words, still makes an impact. Eugenio Finardi becomes the protagonist of the only sung piece, finally, of the evening, “Gioia e Rivoluzione.” There’s some uncertainty about the text, but we’re really splitting hairs here: the atmosphere is that of a group of friends who have lived through everything together and who meet again after a long time at a nice party. Good night to everyone and see you next time. And the Internationale? “The PD Party wouldn’t appreciate the fine that they would have to pay if we continued to play. Pretend we did it.” Well, for this time, you really can’t ask for more.
A beautiful evening, a beautiful concert and the satisfaction of seeing how a legendary group, despite all the losses and misfortunes in the world, manages to move forward without becoming a caricature of themselves, indeed doing everything to not offend the myth. And the new album? We shall see about that. In the meantime, there’s someone leaving the Palasharp humming the Internationale for themselves. Evenings like these are good for the soul.
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