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Rating: Seeing PFM live is always a pleasure, especially considering the popularity the group has been enjoying again for about ten years now. After the void of the eighties and early nineties, in fact, Di Cioccio and company, bolstered by a renewed interest in progressive rock, have returned to regularly releasing albums and touring, always supported by a good following, both in Italy, where they have always been somewhat the standard bearers of the national movement, and abroad, considered somewhat the champions of spaghetti-rock in the world. Of the various shows the group is touring, the one a few nights ago in Erba is perhaps the most popular, given the great number of performances.
For the four people who might not know, PFM at the end of the seventies, a not-so-happy period of their career, had the fortune of accompanying the great Fabrizio De André on tour for a handful of dates, which were then immortalized in two historic live albums. The Milanese ensemble at the time began to feel the decline of interest in their offering, while De André, supported by the collaboration of Massimo Bubola, was approaching territories we would today call folk rock, explored with two masterpiece albums like "Rimini" and "L'indiano". PFM's merit, on that tour, was to take some of Fabrizio's classics and completely overhaul the arrangements, giving a new and elegant look to pieces that perhaps even at the time, at least from a purely musical point of view, showed some signs of age. PFM's tribute, in the end, should thus be placed within the nostalgic wave that has arisen around De André's figure in recent years, and a show like this, to be appreciated, must be seen from this perspective only, a tribute, nothing more and nothing less.
Mussida and company are naturally excellent performers, and Di Cioccio has always been a great entertainer, friendly and talkative, just as good behind the microphone as behind the drums, so the show is guaranteed. The concert is ideally divided into two parts, one dedicated to De André and the subsequent one based on PFM's historical repertoire. The audience gathered is undoubtedly heterogeneous, some are more interested in the tribute, others in the Premiata's pieces, and still more in the entire performance, and it's quite impressive to see prog metal band shirts worn next to some middle-aged gentleman in a suit and tie.
"Bocca di Rosa", "Andrea", or "Un Giudice" are songs that have made the history of Italian music, and hearing them live again is surely pleasant, although, of course, the original remains inimitable. The audience is engaged, even if every now and then they glance at the sky to see how certain threatening clouds are moving, and the reinterpretations of "La Buona Novella" and "Amico Fragile", which closes the first part of the concert, seem to be appreciated. However, it's a pity the party ends shortly after: despite the song being performed is called "La Luna Nuova", there's no trace of the moon in the sky and instead, there are some nasty clouds doing their utmost to fulfill their social function, i.e., making it rain. Wet instruments, no one willing to risk, understandably, being electrocuted, and concert cut short at the end. A pity, but nothing tragic.
There is certainly a regret for not being able to hear some old classics of Italian prog, but, taking into account that PFM is practically always in concert and there will be plenty of opportunities to make up for it, on the other hand, it's also said that, at least this time, the main reason for being here was to listen to how the Milanese group had revisited a repertoire as challenging as Fabrizio De André's. And here, frankly, some considerations need to be made. The idea of the tribute itself might be interesting: after all, those songs are somewhat part of PFM, at least in those versions, since it was them, thirty-five years ago, who worked on them, so it's undeniable that they have the right to bring that piece of their history to a performance.
On the other hand, however, how the entire operation is conducted is questionable: going to a PFM show and listening for an hour and twenty minutes to what remain covers when we are dealing with a group that has made rock history in Italy, as well as being one of the few known abroad, is at least ridiculous, especially considering the minimal time usually dedicated to their own material. For the past seven to eight years PFM has essentially offered absolutely nothing new, either in the studio or live, constantly riding the wave of De André's nostalgia, and frankly, there is a need to ask how much remains of what could have been a sincere tribute and how much is pure speculation.
Not to mention the fact that many people, as soon as PFM's repertoire started, turned their backs and left, showing how much interest the Milanese music sparked in many of those present, and moreover, by even delving into the recent group discography, one finds live albums, studio albums, and box sets all centered on De André, and at this point, one wonders what sense it makes placing the PFM brand on the cover when, by now, there's really very little of PFM left in those albums. Accompanying this operation, there is also another one for some time now, "PFM in Classic," with the revisitation of classical music pieces, certainly interesting, but that seems to add little to those pieces and the group's history. Abroad, where shows like tonight's are not feasible, PFM instead places greater weight on the albums for which it is rightly appreciated, even with entire reproductions of the first albums: why not consider something similar here as well? "Stati di Immaginazione," the instrumental album from 2006 and in fact the last album of real new material, was well received, why not think about continuing along that path?
Of the various dates seen over the years, this one seemed to have the weakest setlist, but paradoxically this version of PFM also appears to be the most requested. Surely, Di Cioccio and his companions' coffers will be full, but in the long run, from an artistic credibility perspective, the current course of the group seems rather sterile, besides, in fact, mortifying thirty-plus years of an honorable career. Wouldn't it be better to finally show some courage, invest in themselves, and simply be Premiata Forneria Marconi? Those who follow PFM already know the answer, but those who should make these decisions, apparently, have a very different idea.
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