Litfiba
Live @ Alcatraz, Milano - Trilogia Tour 1983-1989, 30-31.01.13

Diving into the Eighties like this doesn't happen every day. Because yes, what was put together by Litfiba was just that, a dive into the past, without any sort of nostalgia, a necessary tribute to their history and to that of many people who were twenty at the time and today find themselves (again) under the stage with a few less hairs but with the same joy.

The forbidden dream of every fan-atic of the Florentine group, to see, at least once, together that lineup that, during the height of the Italian new wave (abroad the phenomenon was long dead and buried), wrote albums like "Desaparecido" and "17 Re" was until a few months ago pure utopia, a hope hard to die, but destined to remain so. And it just took a message on Facebook from good Gianni Maroccolo to announce, together with Don Aiazzi, his participation in the Litfiba concert in Florence in June to first reignite enthusiasm and then the desire to believe that it wouldn't be an isolated experience. In that Mandela Forum in Florence, they ended up playing together for just about twenty minutes, as promptly announced, but for the many, not too many actually, present, it was like a journey through time, almost as if that group had never dissolved in the distant 1989, with the various members embarking on the most disparate paths, some extremely credibly, some less so. "Istanbul", "Il Vento", the rhythm of the Eighties returning for an evening, with the "eating bass" in the foreground and the keyboards weaving splendid plots.

What could have seemed like a nostalgic reunion between old friends, with the usual too many rusts, was instead the spark for something more vast and articulated, which responds precisely to the name of "Trilogia Tour", a tour strictly dedicated to the repertoire of the era, without any concession whatsoever to pieces often much more known and popular but born in completely different contexts. Preceded by a zero date in Switzerland, the Milan double at the end of January was the demonstration, given that it's always questioned, of how even in Italy they were capable of making rock of great class, with a strong identity and not just imitating foreign models. Almost two and a half hours of concert, opening with an anthem like "Eroi nel Vento", sung at the top of one's lungs by an Alcatraz that for two consecutive nights was sold out (and these days that's no small feat) followed by authentic thoroughbreds like "Istanbul", "Tziganata", "Pierrot e la Luna". A relationship, that between those Litfiba of the Eighties and certain gypsy and Central European atmospheres, which decreed their success and charm, often making them more appreciated abroad, with various tours in Spain and France, than in Italy. What satisfaction then when one finds oneself listening to pieces like "Elettrica Danza" or "Versante Est", authentic gems unknown to most, published at the time only on EPs now out of catalog for thirty years or in collections today the preserve of the most fierce collectors, demonstrating how they were capable of putting quality pieces even in "minor" releases. A setlist for connoisseurs, truly, and perhaps the choice to prefer for this tour smaller venues instead of the usual arenas wasn't wrong, also because one has to wonder how many of those who go wild today for the various Diabli and Queens of Hearts know or have at least ever listened to these pieces. Really, little money and much glory, from '90 onwards it would have been a whole other story, both on a human and musical level, but here they truly contributed to writing pages and pages of music. As for the "boys", now all over fifty, Pelù again proved himself a first-class frontman, this time with few proclamations and much substance, and Renzulli did his job well, without overdoing it.  And the two "guests"? Aiazzi, fundamental behind the ivory keys, is still there, smiling and a bit in the background, while Maroccolo has the smile of a child who can't believe his eyes. Merit also to newcomer Luca Martelli, behind the drums, and a deserved memory of the great Ringo De Palma during the two evenings, promptly recorded for a live album soon to be released. More couldn't really be asked for. The rating is for those years and the emotions, of yesterday and today.