•
Rating: Milan, March 2007, Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory: Damien Rice returns to Italy three years to the day since his last Italian concert. I can't miss it!!
The location is definitely different from the one that hosted the artist in 2004 (Rainbow Club) and, unfortunately, the attitude of the little Irish elf is also different... but we'll only notice this once the concert begins. Let's take it one step at a time. The first thing to remember about this mild evening, in chronological order, is the opening band (The Magic Numbers), which, though unknown to most, still manages to win over and warm the conservatory audience with a truly pleasant performance. The guitar is well-played, the sounds are refined, and the melodies that the small "abundant family" manages to recreate are truly contagious. The audience sings, applauds, and doesn't seem to mind the wait for the "real concert" too much. The Magic Numbers is thus a band worth listening to again in a calm setting, away from the enthusiasm that a live performance inevitably brings with it. After the London band's performance ends, the interminable stage change begins, setting the scene for Damien Rice shortly after.
Here we are, the lights go out, and the "red elf" comes out with the band. First disappointment of the evening... Lisa Hannigan isn't there!
The audience waits and hopes (like me, for that matter) that the beautiful and captivating singer will come out shortly after, to enrich the show even more... but when the setlist starts gifting us the songs that on the album are sung with her, Damien remains alone, thus inevitably extinguishing the desire to see them duet together as they did in March 2003 at the Rainbow Club! After putting aside the disappointment, we go back to enjoying the live show and the appropriate alternation between new and old songs, which the artist performs with an almost circus-like balance interrupted only by a few unreleased tracks! The voice is truly moving, the sounds are detailed, and even the light effects are pleasant, even if essential... everything flows smoothly, and the relaxing atmosphere almost makes us forget that cold, somewhat rock-star-like attitude that Damien unexpectedly assumes, wiping out in one fell swoop the image he gave us just three years ago! Shyness has become certainty, the friendliness is now almost ostentatious, and the amazement at the warmth of the audience seems to vanish into thin air... as if all those applause were owed! Sensations. Maybe...
The show goes on, with some sighs, a few technical hiccups (someone explain to him that pedals should be engaged before being used!!!), and some ironic stories introducing the songs... everything is linear, harmonious, engaging. Around me, there are even some who are moved and express, with tears, a living feeling that spreads in the air along with those notes. Dense. The climax, in my opinion, is reached with "Amie", "Rootless Tree" (which Damien plays on the piano instead of the guitar as on the album), and with the ever-green "The Blower's Daughter" which comes out during the generous encore section! The band is tight-knit and perhaps deserves a bit more space... but unfortunately, the only off-program granted is handed over to the cellist Vyvienne, who for a moment leaves her instrument to sit at the piano and sing a song in perfect solitude. A poorly succeeded experiment. A lukewarm applause highlights even more the absence of Lisa and brings us back to the complete lineup for the last set of songs. Once again, it's worth appreciating how the band lets itself be carried away during the live show by the melodies themselves, improvising and experimenting with sounds decidedly different and distinct from the acoustic atmospheres. Distortions, delay, flanger, wha-wha... there's a bit of everything to enrich the sound of that wonderful acoustic guitar (can someone finally tell me what brand and model he uses?!?!) which Damien caresses and scratches relentlessly and with rhythmic alternation.
At the end of the show, I leave the conservatory thinking that Damien Rice, despite the small disappointments already mentioned, remains a great artist, a front-line character who definitely stands out above, distancing himself from the sad and flat musical scene of recent years. Let's just hope that money and fame don't ruin him too... and that Lisa returns to the band to further complete the sound of this little Irish storyteller.
Thank you, Damien... until next time.
Loading comments slowly
