Meganoidi
Liva@CavaManara

The beer festival of Cava Manara is a must-see event in the social life of Pavia. A very typical beer festival whose strong points include the fact that they always have decent bands playing or at least never the usual Vasco tribute. A liter has popular prices, the entrance is free no matter what concert is on, and (most importantly) they serve real beer in real glass cups, not the plastic rubbish with flat and poorly poured beer that you find at any other beer festival.

We started very early because there was the chance to watch the Italy match directly alongside excited boors, festive families, fascist bikers, and mosquitoes. During the match, I masked my nearly total disinterest, trying to save my skin from the helicopter mosquitoes that you find here in Padania while eyeing the usual girls I hadn’t seen for a year, who have grown well. The match ends, and we have four liters of beer consumed among the three of us and a couple of "rambaudi" smoked secretly behind the glass bell.

The Meganoidi are scheduled shortly after, so we move closer to the stage and wait for the start, making systematic trips to the bathroom and greeting more or less everyone we see because we more or less know them all. Welcome back to Pavia. The Meganoidi begin on cue and start with songs from "And then we met impero," and they immediately get me pumped up.
They continue with some tracks from 'Granvanoeli.' They notice that most of the audience was expecting something different and apologize but announce that they will no longer play their old songs because it would be playing something they no longer love and it would be dishonest toward the audience. A very drunk "Braaaaaaaaaaaaaviiiiiii" rises from our side as we share the choice.

The crowd obviously doesn't fully appreciate the new style of the band, which presents a kind of atypical post-rock, a bit lively and progressive whose intricate folds perfectly accommodate the brass section. An unexpected but much appreciated evolution, at least from my small and provincial perspective. Meanwhile, we downed the sixth liter, and from there, I remember very little apart from wandering aimlessly in the park, greeting the many people I knew.

The concert ends, and shortly after, they come back onstage and perform a "zeta reticoli" to close and take away the bitter taste. It's their problem if they had a bitter taste. Another "rambaudo" in the car on the way back and, apart from some problems unloading Mr. Loasi from my car, as evident from the photo, we made it home safe and a bit happier.