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Rating: Saturday, January 14th in Milan is cold, the thermometer close to zero. Yet thousands of people crowd the streets of the city center hunting for the latest sales. Yet hundreds of protesters fill Piazza Duomo to defend Law 194. And yet, already at 8:30 PM, a decent line waits in front of the Rolling Stone for the doors to open. Tonight, Baustelle is playing. At 9:30 PM, when the enormous black bouncer finally invites us to enter, there's a queue like there would be for the latest Harry Potter book.
Around 10 PM the first of the four (!) opening acts takes the stage; they’re called Bios and they leave me with a good impression. The singer eerily reminds me of Cristiano Godano in his movements and guitar playing. It's a shame the acoustics aren't great, the sounds are undefined and the words are barely discernible. Unfortunately, it'll be like this for the whole evening. Then the very young punk band Fuori Luogo performs, followed by the Vercelli-based Maimale (whose singer will throw about thirty copies of their self-produced CD into the crowd) and, lastly, the formidable freaks Swami. The venue is full or almost. The crowd is heterogeneous; next to me, some kids are talking about class assignments and quizzes. I feel a bit melancholic but it quickly passes. I look around and immediately recognize the long-time fans; they are the most excited, those who constantly check the time, those who scan the stage waiting for a signal.
At last, at 11:30 PM, here they are: the Romantics make their stage appearance in Milan. Francesco, as usual elegant in a black suit and white shirt, appears intimidated; he will loosen up later. Rachele is beautiful - a true dark lady - bent over her red keyboard. But the prize for the most stylish undoubtedly goes to the guitarist Claudio Brasini, decked out like a true 1930s mobster, complete with a wide-brimmed hat pulled over his eyes. Completing the picture are drummer Claudio Chiari, Ettore Bianconi (Francesco’s brother) on keyboards, and Enrico Amendolia on bass. They begin with "Cronaca Nera," the instrumental track, a creation of Rachele, that opens La Malavita. "I Provinciali," "Sergio," "Arriva Lo Ye-Ye," "A Vita Bassa," "Revolver" follow in succession... It's a pleasure to dance and sing, and at times we even mosh! Yes, because live, possibly due to Fabrizo Massara's farewell, that delicate "rock" attitude of their latest work emerges. The essential and powerful sounds of the "canzoni della mala" adapt perfectly to the live setting. The audience sings the songs, especially "Un Romantico A Milano" and "La Guerra È Finita," indicating a prevalence of newer fans. The setlist, based on the latest album, played almost entirely, also features some tracks from previous works (the chilling "Love Affair"), plus a cover of Patti Pravo ("Per Una Bambola"). Despite the already mentioned acoustic issues, even Baustelle seems to be having a lot of fun.
During the encore, Bianconi, who remained quite aloof throughout the concert (much like his singing), even interacts with some of the enthusiastic crowd in the front rows, asking them which songs they would like to hear. Many call for "Cinecittà," but it doesn’t come. The explosive final three ("Gomma," "Le Vacanze dell''83," and "La Canzone Del Riformatorio") is entirely from the Sussidiario Illustrato Della Giovinezza. The concert ends. It’s one o’clock when Baustelle says goodbye. The stage lights go out. The speakers blast Girls&Boys by Blur, a bit outdated but still enjoyable. We start dancing again.
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