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Rating: On December 4, 2010, the last of the five concerts fixed by the Turin singer-songwriter Paolo Conte was held in Rome, at the Teatro-Auditorium della Conciliazione.
To not miss this unmissable event, I begged my uncle (a fervent fan of Conte from forever) to take me, and so, with the whole family, we traveled a long way until we reached Rome, where we were welcomed by my uncle's brother (a true lifesaver!) who also played for me his vast collection of 70s rock albums, music I was already partially familiar with.
The concert was sold out. There was anticipation. Silence dominated the theater until we saw the musicians positioning themselves on stage in the dark, triggering a loud and prolonged applause. The first musicians to be illuminated were the three guitarists who improvised a long melody on the theme of "Cuanta Pasion", until Paolo Conte took the stage and began singing the mentioned song, accompanying himself on the piano. The arrival of the maestro was greeted by the audience with such a strong applause that it drowned out the musicians' melody. One of the biggest surprises felt by the audience was when Paolo Conte, before starting the song from the new album "La massaggiatrice", explained why he wrote this track (uncommon for the maestro), also revealing a sense of humor in himself.
The repertoire played by Paolo Conte for that magnificent evening was interspersed with songs historically very important for the career of the Turin jazz artist, such as "Max", "Bartali", "Baci senza memoria", "Alle prese con una verde milonga" and "Diavolo rosso" (where the musicians gave their very best)... and songs extracted from the new album, including the now famous "L'orchestrina": the last track of the concert (not counting the encore). After the encore, there was nothing left for Paolo Conte and the others to do but leave, yet he had to reappear three times due to being cheered on by the audience.
What a wonderful evening! Nothing better could have happened to a thirteen-year-old boy passionate about this wonderful music! Yet destiny reserved another great surprise for me, my uncle, and my cousin (who was also there, influenced by her father's passion for Paolo Conte), which far surpassed everything we had seen or heard before it: as we approached the stage, we heard from Paolo Conte's manager that he might exit from the back door of the theater (which, if you had seen it, looked nothing like a theater door). Enthusiastic and also a bit skeptical about meeting Paolo Conte, we headed towards the mentioned door, where there were journalists and fans before us, about thirty in total. It was then we realized there was indeed an opportunity to meet the maestro; in fact, after the bassist and guitarist came out, there he was! I was excited just at the idea of shaking hands with such a legendary figure, slipped through the crowd, and after a few photos, I got the autograph and handshake from Paolo Conte (as did my uncle and cousin)!
Now I can truly say that it was one of the most beautiful days of my life, and I recommend everyone to listen to the genius expressed by the Turin jazz artist!
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