Elio E Le Storie Tese
Live @ Porky's Beer, Casumaro (FE) 27.06.07

LA RECENSIONE

Live in Casumaro (Ferrara): after quite a few calls for help to find Porky's Beer (as the event was named), we arrived at the venue where the legendary Elii would perform. At the entrance, three bikers blocked the entrance of fans eager to see their heroes; the gates were opened around half past eight. The time to order the cd brulé and I was in the front row, waiting. The performance was scheduled for half past nine, but some supposed "technical problems" delayed the start to 10 PM. The thing that immediately caught everyone's attention was the absence of Rocco Tanica! Or rather, the replacement.

Indeed, it seems that this "Emozioni Fortissime Tour 2007" does not include the presence of the famous keyboardist/vocalist/everyman of the band. In his place, there was a guy never seen before, who calls himself Clayderman-Viganò. To be honest, during the concert, there were two or three uncertainties, especially in "Cara ti amo", where timekeeping is crucial. Also, he was a bit off-key.

But apart from this, the concert was really beautiful, with fantastic moments: we listened to some classics like "John Holmes", "Cassonetto", "Il vitello...", "Servi della gleba", and "Uomini col borsello", but also recent tracks like "Jimmy I." and "Oratorium" (unexpected), not to mention "Christmas with the yours" in anticipation of the upcoming holiday (?). But the most interesting element was three brand new tracks, which will appear on the new album to be released in the fall. In particular, there was one talking about the "scourge of the parks of Milan," namely the bongo players, who disturb the "public peace." The conclusion was entrusted first to "Shpalman", and in the encores to the historic "Tapparella".

Now I am listening to the cd brulé, containing the first part of the concert (11 tracks), and I am increasingly amazed by the innovation of this group, which not only manages to provide the aforementioned freshly baked disc, but the quality of it is excellent. The audience is almost not heard, and each instrument is fully appreciated, without any electronic modification. USB sticks are also available, to download directly on the pc, for 8 euros. This shows that the Elii are really against the music industry, which sells at exorbitant prices, and at events, they can sell their products as they wish.

The laughs were certainly not lacking in this third leg of the 2007 tour, between improvisations and interruptions to say "You are ruining the record." If by chance these delightful guys pass by your area, don't miss them. It's 18 euros well spent.