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Rating: Obvious premise; in my opinion, the creators of five records such as "Desaparecido," "17 Re," "Litfiba 3," "Terremoto," and "El Diablo" (yes, even El Diablo, criticized from all sides but for me a respectable pure rock'n'roll album with Latin influences, far from the beginning of the decline) could live off the royalties forever.
And it seems that two of them are following my words to the letter; over twenty years later, the so-called Tetralogy of the Elements is being reintroduced, the quartet of albums composed of El Diablo-Terremoto-Spirito-Mondi Sommersi, both as a box set and a series of concerts, where only three out of the five elements from that era will reappear on a few Italian stages. The revival of the Trilogy made more sense already for the return of the historical formation almost in full (rest your soul, Ringo), and in my view, it was a successful experiment; the operation they are doing now, on the other hand, gains its little sense only with the re-proposal at the concerts of little-played songs during the band's live shows and with the release of the DVD I just watched from the Terremoto Tour of '93.
A good hour and a half, whose strength lies in the music itself more than the rather sparse and essential backstage, although some are entertaining and give an idea of the success the band was having at that time; it would have been nice if they had delved further into the chaotic and contentious atmosphere. Some might think that there is already a great live album that perfectly summarizes the Terremotian sound, namely "Colpo di coda"; I agree, but perhaps the missing element was seeing those "acoustic tail shots" finally becoming image.
Leaving aside the spartan introductory menu, the first applause goes to the video quality, almost perfect, the good direction, and especially to the varied editing, which doesn’t tire in the long run and gives the right space to each band member and also to a rather lively audience. Some have complained of a hypothetical audio out of sync in some tracks but, if it is indeed there, I swear I didn't notice it at all, everything seemed in place to me; if I were to make a remark, I would have liked to hear Pelù's big voice and Terzani's bass a little more prominently, I think it's a matter of mix but being quite ignorant in the field I won't express myself further.
The setlist doesn’t look bad at all, and starting from a rock version of "Resta," all the songs defend themselves, and more than one attacks; I have even re-evaluated songs I previously overlooked like "Firenze Sogna," "Sotto il Vulcano," and "Il mistero di Giulia," which with the granite and magmatic arrangements of this concert really become strengths. The one that really didn't excite me is "Bambino"; to stay on topic, a fine "Corri" or a "Cuore di vetro" (proposed really too few times, but which with the grunge atmosphere of the concert would have fit perfectly) would not have been amiss. Applause goes to Ghigo's solo in "Cane," not very technical as much as you like but I enjoyed it, and applause goes to the whole version, grunge-like as that of Sogno Ribelle; "Dimmi il nome," "Maudit," "Fata Morgana," and "Soldi" reveal themselves immediately as battle horses along with a few others and ooze power from every pore; "Prima Guardia" instead is the song where perhaps the highest level of pathos is reached.
Pelù is his usual Iggypoppian showman throughout the concert, but especially in "El Diablo"; Terzani, okay, may not be Maroc, but he's a more than respectable bassist, here really in shape and doing a flawless unseen job. Caforio and the Marchese work on what I consider the diamond of the set: "Ci sei solo tu." Already by itself, I prefer the frenzied version of El Diablo Tour rather than the liquid one of the Trilogy, but here the peak of symbiosis and exaltation of each instrument is truly reached, including Piero's voice; probably the best version of the song I've come across.
A few negative notes; I would have liked them to have included "Dinosauro" as well, to complete the "Terremoto" set, and perhaps one between "Proibito" and "Gioconda," and the rather abrupt division in two parts of "Tex" I didn't get, I hope they had good reasons. The final "Cangaceiro" is more improvisation than anything else but is a very worthy and powerful conclusion with stage-diving included (yes, there's still Iggy's touch). The icing on the cake is Piero’s big swear word backstage between the first and second part of the concert, unfortunately censored.
Jokes aside, a highly enjoyable and fun DVD, which will satisfy both enthusiasts who have already devoured the Tenax and El Diablo Tour footage, and newcomers who can count on a good compromise between battle horses and less known songs from (almost) all five initial albums of the Florentine band.
Hoping maybe for some nice new idea from the duo Piero-Ghigo, that, if possible, could involve if not Maroccolo then Aiazzi, a "QUE VIVA EL BANDIDO LITFIBA!" cannot be denied to me by anyone.
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