Delirium
Live

Trento 24/07/06 and the audience is in delirium!

Finally, after 30 years of silence, one of the greatest legends of Italian prog has come back to life and, moreover, with more ambitious plans than expected. The great "Ivanone" is no longer here, but that hardly matters since Pino Di Santo (drums, percussion, and vocals) managed to bring along Ettore Vigo (piano, keyboards, Hammond organ, and vocals), the charismatic Martin Grice (flute, sax, and vocals), and two new members on guitar and bass (Roberto Solinas and Fabio Chighini).

In this beautiful 70-minute live concert produced by the Genoese label "Black Widow," there's no room for idle chatter: the band has successfully preserved the ghostly prog folk atmospheres of the album "Lo Scemo e Il Villaggio" and the melancholic and profound melodies of "Dolce Acqua" in an exemplary and virtuosic manner. In addition to the excellent technical passages, the "Delirium" have maintained their vocal tuning over time and enriched the performance with notable tributes to "Jethro Tull" and "Joe Cocker." This wonderful live performance printed also on vinyl for the most ardent collectors, kicks off with an immediate burst of energy with the track "Villaggio" where Martin Grice and Pino di Santo make you forget their 60 years (they couldn't have chosen a better track to start with those gritty guitar riffs). The following tracks take us back to the atmospheres of "Dolce Acqua" with the songs "Egoismo" and "Paura": sweet, melancholic, and hippie in style; an amazing choir reminds me of those wonderful verses......"La paura che ormai corre dentro di me che so / Resterà di noi solo un grande falò".

The arrival of "Culto Disarmonico" clearly recalls the band's style of easily slipping into the prog folk world (unyielding and complicated), while the track "E' l'ora", is a tribute to the greats of Italian music Mogol and Lavezzi (a single from the '60s that the band revisits and does not appear in their old albums).

Undoubtedly, the best track revisited in this live performance is "Gioia, Disordine, Risentimento": ghostly, mystical settings and excellent jazz arrangement. Perhaps it was their most challenging song but was extremely successful with no flaws. Ettore Vigo wanted Martin Grice to play two Jethro songs, perhaps to remind their fans of the rightful inspiration, and indeed Grice doesn't miss a beat with his flute and showcases his talent with "Bourée" and "Living in the past".

But unfortunately, here comes the only sour note of the album with the new single "Notte a Bagdad", which has nothing to do with the old works, but rather reminded me of something by the "Nomadi". Fine! When it comes to the end of a concert, you try to pull out something classic from the old repertoire, and indeed the "Delirium" does so with two legendary tracks like "Johnny Sayre: il Perdono" and "Jesahel".

"Padre tu non sai l'angoscia del momento in cui la ruota di quel treno fu su di me e ti chiedo perdono / Mentre mi portavano giù per la collina vidi ancora la scuola che saltavo per salire a giocare sui treni / e pregai di vivere tanto da provare il conforto di chiedere perdono a te che ancora non sapevi". And this says it all!

Excellent conclusion with "What a Little Help From My Friends" and the entire audience standing for a warm farewell (or a warm Welcome back!).......finally the legend has returned with a stunning live and is about to complete the new imminent work that already hints at "Delirium IV".

The Genoese band, after so much time, has ambitious projects and "Black Widow" has given them free rein. We hope for a rather experimental studio album, like in the old days, and that the "Notte a Bagdad" stays in Baghdad.