Lucca, July 29, 2023 – Completion Summer in the stands is perhaps the best way, and like last year with Justin Bieber, for this 25th anniversary edition of the festival, it was Robbie Williams kindle a crowd of about twenty thousand present in the stalls, in the stands and standing.
Single Italian date holiday tour from (coincidentally) 25 years of a solo career has attracted fans to the city from all over Italy and beyond: as always, so many foreigners who have come on holiday or specially come for the occasion to know or rediscover our city. Summer 2023 is coming to an end with over a hundred thousand tickets sold, but budgets and maybe even the future will be discussed from now on.
However, last night the music was talking: starting with a special guest who opened the evening when the sun is still high to light up the stage. Diodato is one of the most respected and beloved Italian songwriters, and live he manages to maintain all the care he puts into recordings, thanks to a great band and, above all, his voice, which in live, if possible, is even better and better. . more powerful. However, his forcefully shortened set highlighted songs from his recent album “So special”, including “It Would Take a Miracle”, which he started the minishow with. Less than an hour, but time to listen to, among other hits, “Shumi”, with a chorus clearly sung by everyone, and “What a wonderful life” everyone has. And the enthusiasm of the people is sincere in relation to the artist, who never does anything superfluous and inappropriate, and who eschews appearance and superfluity.
When Robbie Williams appears on the scene instead of him, it becomes immediately clear who you are dealing with, and he immediately makes it clear himself, with the first two songs: “Hey, wow, yes, yes,” in which everyone is invited to “clap in a hundred times hands.” hands and “Let me entertain you.” In a word, a great artist, there is no doubt about it: one who devours the stage every time, who knows when to raise and lower tension, when and how to create the right atmosphere, when to physically seek contact with his audience. when to make you sing, when to make you laugh, following all the patterns of human moods.
And then other hits: “Come undone”, “Love my life”, “Candy”, “Feel”, “Rock Dj”, “Angels”. From Take That’s repertoire of “Do what U like” (on video/nostalgia, talking to fans of the time), “The Flood” and “Could it be magic” (which interrupts, surprising the viewer coming out of the closet), it’s actually the song by Barry Manilow that brought Donna Summer the most success. But another cover in particular, “Don’t look back in anger” by Oasis, is obviously the result of a less obvious personal passion, given that in the 90s the two bands were somehow rivals and divided the audience.
On the stage the big band is always supporting Robbie, playing pop and rock or whatever it takes, punctual and spectacular. He does everything else, even physically filling the stage, moving, running and jumping, showing off his good physical shape. In the hall, there is a parallel show: those who are sitting cannot but jump to their feet, those who are standing jump and participate in the “waves”, but everyone sings, that’s for sure. And even if this day was not as hot as a few days ago, the sweat of a long day of waiting is joined by the sweat caused by this happy movement. Audience consists of fans of the first hour and very young people who grew up on Robbie’s records at home: many complete families, clearly living in the “cult” of Williams. The former Take That thanks Lucca and finds words for Lucca, who greeted him for the third time. When the show ends and the lights come back on, someone continues to sing, even leaving the arena, still unsatisfied with what they saw and heard. These are the fans.