Francesco De Gregori
Live @ Fossano 15.03.08

LA RECENSIONE

It grips my heart, the feeling of being fulfilled... that's what I feel when I listen to any album by Francesco De Gregori... with his delicate, somewhat monotone voice and in some parts slightly off-key... or when I try to understand his lyrics, trying to make sense of them... I can spend days, months, years and it will probably all be in vain. But I like it that way...

And when I grossly heard from the press that old Francesco would perform in Fossano, the race for the remaining tickets began...

So on March 15th, I arrived quite calmly at the sports arena... after a bit of a queue, I finally managed to glimpse the stage and was surprised to find that I wasn't the only youngster amidst an ocean of forty-somethings and men in their fifties and beyond; the audience was indeed very varied: there were classic small-time communists with a big bottle in hand, young people more or less my age, and then the adults I mentioned earlier, comfortably seated on the structure's stands...

I remember when the lights dimmed, I was chatting with a guy and his girlfriend, so I didn't immediately realize the moment had arrived... De Gregori comes on stage in a dark blue suit and a red tie; his head was covered by the classic dark top hat... you could notice a satisfied look behind his glasses... he signals the lead guitarist of his band, and it's time to start... during the first song, we all look at each other puzzled, as if to say, "what song is this?", however, it manages to captivate and shows the group's perfect form... I later discover the piece is "Celebrazione", from the new album...

The concert quickly progresses; it's worth noting the sound, much louder and with the addition of perfectly executed guitar solos by Paolo Giovenchi... The downside of this new arrangement is that while it works wonders on lively pieces like "Adelante Adelante", it might be somewhat out of place on others like "Rimmel"... The setlist includes songs from his entire career without omitting anything... During the first part featuring "Titanic", "I muscoli del capitano", "L'abbigliamento del fuochista", and "Raggio di Sole", Francesco roams the stage and interacts with the audience, it took him very little time to familiarize... his usual sincere little smile hidden behind the grey beard denotes experience, the experience of a distinguished gentleman on the road to old age, but who knows exactly what he wants and what the audience desires from him...

And so, shortly after the middle of the concert comes the pivotal moment... Acoustic guitar chords and the master leaning toward the microphone, "Generale dietro la collina...", a roar erupts, the whole arena is singing... the same will happen with "Pezzi di Vetro", "Vai in Africa Celestino", "La leva Calcistica del ‘68", "Rimmel", and "La Donna Cannone"... pure delirium, it seems like a rock concert, or rather, it IS a rock concert... The curtain falls, Francesco says goodbye to everyone with a "Thank you all, it was wonderful... goodnight!"... but we in the audience know it's not over, and indeed the band returns to the stage and plays another new piece, "Per Brevità Chiamato Artista" and the classic "Buonanotte Fiorellino", completely transformed...

In conclusion, I can say I was very satisfied and that an event like this should set an example for all those puppets who "sing" on the Ariston stage...