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Rating: Yesterday was a beautiful April 25th, and there couldn't be anything better than a concert by Vinicio Capossela. The unique venue, however, created tensions at the entrance as the audience pondered how to secure the front rows...
Around 9:15 PM, the doors open. Being the first, I choose the best seats and settle in a lovely slightly lateral fourth row (for the acoustics) and sit on that seat conquered like a victorious Napoleon…
At 9:45 PM, the atmosphere becomes eerie, musicians take the stage, and they begin to play a beautiful and hypnotic "Non Trattare" followed by a rocking and mystical "Brucia Troia".
After these two songs, we enter the heart of the concert, into Vinicio's circus world. The eerie welcome of the Minotaur will be followed by the introduction of another character, Spessotto, and his misadventures.
The concert progresses, Vinicio is confident, the concert is high quality (and moreover, it is one of the few cases where the price is less than the quality) and well-tested. It is accompanied by shadow puppetry (which also serves as an interlude during frequent breaks), costumes, unusual sounds, and interesting stage tricks.
But the pinnacle in the first part of the concert (the part concerning the entire album of "Ovunque Proteggi") is reached with the performance of "Santissima dei Naufragati", splendidly and suggestively interpreted by Our Hero, and with "L’uomo Vivo".
A note must be made regarding this particular moment. Imagine sitting in a theater that is no longer a theater, captivated by this magician of music and words… suddenly, the audience's gaze turns toward a door in the room as a town band (which turned out to be from Pignola, in the province of Potenza) starts to enter… meanwhile, Vinicio places a wreath of flowers on his head, even the band director enters, and they begin to play this tune… the audience, up until this point, has behaved discreetly, orderly… all of a sudden I find myself transported to a rural festival, a town square party where the saint (who, in this case, is Vinicio) is honored, I stand up, and I realize I'm dancing alone… but then, suddenly, a moment later, everyone is on their feet dancing, following this procession, bursting with joy! After this piece, to the notes of "Al Colosseo", we must grant grace or death to our musicians/musicians/gladiators of the scene.
Of course, there will be no actual thumbs down! And the show can go on… a small break that, according to Vinicio, will be four and a half minutes! Unfortunately, I won't follow the shadow puppets that are supposed to entertain the audience in the hall as I step out to the restroom and to meet faces. The time to go to the restroom and come out that the former gladiator begins to play a captivating "Marajà".
I simply can't make it back to my seat and start dancing, unable to stop due to the subsequent "Che coss’è l’amor". Then a break (thankfully), and Vinicio goes on with "Con una Rosa" on guitar (an atypical but just as beautiful version) and a beautiful and moving "25 aprile" (which I actually predicted in the morning… it wasn't too hard!) and "Camminante".
Multiple times Our Hero exits the stage, simulating the end of the concert, then returns and delighted us with more pieces… until "Il Ballo di San Vito" arrives and then, the final explosion with "Al Veglione". And to the notes of "Veglione", Vinicio fires confetti, streamers… everything! We shout, we dance, and then all, at the end of the song, sing a heartfelt "Bella Ciao"… Vinicio comes backstage delighted, moved, also singing the final part of the song (without a microphone) and thanks us (after all, it was April 25th, Bella Ciao had to be sung!)… in short, we didn't hold back at all!!! Then a final parade for our heroes, spectacular and very entertaining, and then a finale, with the lights on, with "Ovunque Proteggi" (which, strangely, was not one of the best pieces of the evening) embraced.
The party ends, we leave the theater with an eighty-four-tooth smile on our faces, it's raining, it's true, but we don't care all that much! I don't even think about the university day ahead…
Yesterday's concert (like every Vinicio concert) was overflowing, eclectic, exciting, fun, full of love. But it was much more! It was a concert made with heart, deeply felt, firstly by the artist on stage… it was what I mean by a concert (the word itself says it… )! The feelings, the emotions, alternated in me swiftly and lightly, risking causing me a heart attack…
Then I found out that Vinicio, with the band from Pignola, kept performing on the beach of Santa Teresa and now I am tremendously disappointed not to have known earlier… but it doesn't matter, yesterday I was pieces anyway… maybe it was better not to have an overdose of Vinicio! The most important thing was being at the Teatro Augusteo yesterday, and luckily I was!
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