•
Rating: It has been 7 years since the last concert of the Pooh and my curiosity to see the return of this historic group was quite high.
After their appearance at Sanremo, I got goosebumps because seeing Facchinetti struggling with his typical vocalizations "ua uo ue" made my skin crawl (true, he is almost 80 years old but the songs can also be lowered in key).
In short, at first I didn't know what to expect from this concert because I couldn't stand the absence of Stefano D'Orazio (RIP) but most of all I hated the presence of Riccardo Fogli who, in my opinion, doesn't fit with the group due to his brief time with them.
I must say I did not watch the concert at San Siro (the venue of the concert) but through the TV channel RTL102.5 that broadcast the concert live in full.
Well... the concert was a pleasant and unexpected surprise.
Starting with a 20-minute delay, it lasted a remarkable 3 hours and 20 minutes.
The stage was quite large with minimal but really well-done video and lighting backdrops.
The thing that struck me the most was the setlist because it finally wasn't the classic Pooh setlist of only classics but included some really rarely heard and long-unplayed songs (just to name a few: Grandi speranze, Lettera da Berlino est, Dall’altra parte, Tu dov’eri, Orient express, Ali per guardare occhi per volare).
Another thing I liked was the presence of a string quartet, a wind quartet, and a choir that occasionally appeared on stage.
The many musical suites they performed during the evening were very beautiful: (to name a few) from "dove comincia il sole" to "parsifal" to "il tempo, una donna, la città", which really enhanced the musical talents of the Pooh.
Phil Mer was excellent on the drums, keeping up with the other members of the group.
There were many other positive aspects: the guitar solos by Dodi Battaglia, who really unleashed himself in this concert, proving to be one of the best Italian guitarists; the reproduction, after 50 years, of 4 tracks from the fabulous album Parsifal, which were played one after the other; the very brief presence of Riccardo Fogli, who wasn't on stage for more than 30 minutes, rightly given minor tasks since he was not part of the band's major successes post-1972 (the year he left the group).
Lovely was the tribute to Stefano D'Orazio (recalled multiple times during the concert along with Valerio Negrini) who "virtually" sang and played the song Dimmi di sì with the group accompanying him on stage.
There were negative notes and, among them, Facchinetti's voice, which at times struggled quite a bit to reproduce the songs (Red Canzian and Dodi Battaglia, on the other hand, were in great vocal shape).
Another negative note was the presence of Il Volo, who arrived too late (towards the end of the concert) and sang "Uomini soli" together with the group, but their appearance could have been omitted.
In short, one may more or less like the Pooh, but they must be acknowledged for being talented and managing over time to hold their own against many of today's upstarts... I want to see how many of those who are now reaping success will be known in 50 years and how many would be able to stay on stage for over 3 hours.
Loading comments slowly
