Sergio Buonadonna
Quando Palermo sognò di essere Woodstock

LA RECENSIONE

It is 1970 and '68 is not over yet. Too many things to do, to fix, to set right again. University occupations, protests, worker demonstrations. All very nice, but not enough. It couldn't be enough. The soundtrack was what it was: something more was needed. Newport, Woodstock, Isle of Wight, Monterey festivals were too far away. For us, there was Sanremo and Cantagiri. We had to make do. Then pop gatherings also invade the Belpaese. From north to south. It all starts in Rome on February 4, 1968: an unprecedented flop. A year and a half later, the baton passes to Palermo: at the Favorita stadium, it's time for "Pop 70," from July 17 to 19. It will definitely go better.

An amazing festival, full of surprises, which Sergio Buonadonna, a historic writer for the newspaper L’Ora, reconstructs in the pages of "When Palermo Dreamed of Being Woodstock" (Navarra Editore, 2020). The idea starts with Joe Napoli, an Italian-American impresario with some gatherings already organized with good success in Belgium. In the Sicilian capital, Napoli finds fertile ground: in a short time, despite many difficulties, he manages to set up a festival worthy of respect. On the Favorita stage, none other than Aretha Franklin, Duke Ellington, Brian Auger, and Tony Scott will perform. And then Arthur Brown, George Fame, Johnny Halliday. Along with many Italians, from Ricchi e Poveri to a young Giusy Romeo (the future Giuni Russo), from Little Tony to the much-booed Rosanna Fratello. Hosting is signorina buonasera Mariolina Cannuli, jazz musician Carlo Loffredo, and a young Paolo Villaggio. There's a bit of everything, from jazz to rock, with a few timid openings towards new sounds. Three intense days, not without mishaps. Franco Trincale would end up in the police station for shouting "Nixon boia," and Arthur Brown would even be arrested on stage (by Boris Giuliano) after daring to strip.

Buonadonna, present at the event, is skilled, with a brisk and agile writing style, at recalling, piecing together the fragments, citing anecdotes (some of which are spicy...), and capturing a series of testimonies. It talks about music and musicians, but the book is also an opportunity to address the mafia, a Palermo victim of the "sack" and a historical phase that would see our country at the center of profound change. The Palermo Festival will also see the light in the two years following the first edition, but in a lesser tone. The three days of 1970 had already said it all and would pave the way for various festivals in Caracalla, Licola, and Parco Lambro. And that's not a little, really.