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Rating: I had bought a front-row ticket for the Palermo date of the "Vuoto Tour" several weeks ago, but I had some reservations about this show: the MAB, those punkish girls that Franco has been bringing along for some time, as well as the other group made up of three guys (a band whose name escapes me at the moment), didn’t really enthuse me. I largely had to change my mind about the former, really talented. As for the other group, or at least the guitarist, I couldn't change my mind, an individual as bland as he was useless (like a chimpanzee on stage, he was more focused on performing his daring acrobatics than on playing).
At one point, the cheerful MAB performed a track from their latest album, and from Battiato's honey-drenched rock, we transitioned to machine-gun guitar blasts and relentless drum rhythms. People were rather disgusted by this sudden yet temporary shift, while I was ecstatic and laughed watching the disgusted faces of the bejeweled ladies next to me... wonderful.
But let's start from the beginning: a piano and cello duo opened the evening; both very talented, although they did drag it on a bit. Then Franco came in, sat on a chair, and performed three pieces accompanied only by the piano. With the entry of the "Nuovo Quartetto Italiano" and the aforementioned MAB, they all began churning out a series of masterpieces one after the other. The only piece I really wanted to hear and they didn't perform was "Il Ballo del Potere"; otherwise, no complaints about the tracklist (the final medley practically amalgamated all of "La Voce del Padrone").
Truly hilarious was the intervention of the distinguished Professor Manlio Sgalambro. The Sicilian philosopher first recited a monologue inspired by a grotesque misadventure of Nietzsche, an account involving feces and all that could be most scandalous to the bourgeois beside me (with evident disdain). Later, much to my great and pleasant surprise, Manlio endeavored a reading in Italian of a famous piece of the "Meaning of Life" by Monty Python: "The Galaxy Song". I'm almost sure that practically no one (apart from myself and a few other lucky elect) understood what it was about... ehehehe. (Although I have noticed that there are already videos on YouTube, so the less informed probably have been aptly educated). Certainly, in Italian, the lyrics and music sometimes seemed discordant, but the ending: "Hope that in the universe there are forms of intelligent life because there is absolutely nothing here" made up for any lack. Most of the classics were there: "L'era del Cinghiale Bianco", "Prospettiva Newsky", "Centro di Gravità Permanente", "Cuccuruccucu", "La Cura", "Voglio Vederti Danzare", "Strani Giorni", "Povera Patria", etc...
From the new album, they obviously performed "Il Vuoto", then "I Giorni della Monotonia", "Aspettando L'estate", and "The Game is Over". I was somewhat disappointed by the sampled parts, too many in my opinion, both in Vuoto and The Game is Over, but all considered, it can easily be overlooked. From Gommalacca, they only played "Shock in my Town", and just "Tra Sesso e Castità" from Dieci Stratagemmi... a pity. The Nuovo Quartetto Italiano, anyway (which judging from their age wasn’t quite debuting) performed admirably. After two encores (thus, a third performance), the whole theater stood up clapping their hands in rhythm. I would have loved Franco to perform something from "Sulle Corde di Aries" or from "Clic" (a challenging endeavor), but there was no time. Spectacular live show nonetheless. Both Franco and Manlio were fantastic... if they happen to come to your area, make sure not to miss them.
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