Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Location: Piazza della Repubblica / Monfalcone / Italy
Concert date: 04.07.2008
Attendance: 2000
Ticket price: 0,00€
That evening in Monfalcone, we had a date with the legendary Premiata Forneria Marconi (loosely translated, their name means “award-winning Marconi bakery”), the only Italian progressive rock band to find international commercial success in the 70s, and still the best-known of the Italian symphonic prog rock outfits that shaped an entirely distinct subgenre of progressive rock back then. PFM’s music has always carried plenty of influences from prog rock legends led by Genesis, King Crimson and ELP, but it also shows a high degree of originality, with a recognizable Mediterranean sound that always gives their compositions a special warmth. Unlike most legendary prog rock bands with similar evolutionary paths, PFM aren’t ashamed to highlight their pop rock era from the 80s, so at their shows they always play a few pop rock hits too. That adds a special contrast to their performances and shows two different faces of the band: prog rock perfectionists and pop rock “stars” who get the crowd going with tremendous energy.
After our first encounter more than a year ago in Trieste, where they presented the excellent album “Stati Di Immaginazione” (2006) and delivered an unforgettable show with elaborate stage scenery, extensive animated projections and light effects, they left a huge impression on us, so we could once again look forward to another great performance with an abundance of prog rock magic, whether in the form of symphonic refinement or (pop) rock bounce. When we arrived at the venue, PFM were already warming up with rehearsals, even running through a few songs that they later left out of the show. After an interview with all three permanent members of the band, guitarist/vocalist Franco Mussida, drummer/vocalist Franz Di Cioccio and bassist Patrick Djivas, followed by a look around some local sights, we reached the official start of the show, which this time was completely free and so drew a huge number of loyal fans to the main square, along with plenty of curious passersby. The elder statesmen of Italian (prog) rock still enjoy all the respect they deserve in their homeland, and their gigs draw old and young alike, plus plenty of visitors from other European countries, so it was no surprise that the square in front of the stage was packed.
The band kicked off with a lengthy pre-recorded intro. Then, to thunderous applause, they marched onto the stage and wowed us with a superb rendition of the symphonic prog rock delicacy “La Luna Nuova” from the cult album “L’ Isola Di Niente” (1974). The virtuoso instrumental acrobatics, mixed with a fine feel for Mediterranean sonic refinement, carried on with the indispensable title track of that same album. Then they moved on to “Out On The Roundabout”, another theatrically tinged symphonic prog rock stormer and the first and only PFM classic of the night with English lyrics. It originally appeared on “Chocolate Kings” (1975), which did well on the American market when it came out, even though most of its songs satirize American “culture” in their lyrics. Once again, the three key members were joined by the seasoned violinist/extra keyboardist Luca Fabbri, who completely won us over again with his virtuoso violin mastery, and by the equally excellent and versatile Gianluca Tagliavini, who took over keyboard duties two years ago from original keyboardist Flavio Premoli. And whenever Di Cioccio stepped up to the mic, the talented Piero Monteresi once again took his place on drums. At times he even joined him (at the same time) on an additional drum kit hidden behind Franz’s drum set (PFM just don’t have as much money as Genesis, who could afford two separate drum setups on both sides of the stage), which was a real feast for the eyes and ears of all drum nerds.
After the symphonic prog rock classics from their golden years, it was time for some popular pop rock numbers to warm up every part of the crowd, including those who wouldn’t normally count themselves among progressive rock listeners. In these moments the band completely changes its character, and Di Cioccio takes over as lead vocalist and energetic stage entertainer while Monteresi takes his place behind the drums. Di Cioccio and the rest of the gang properly fired up the crowd with standard pop rock crowd-pleasers like “Maestro Della Voce” and “Suonare Suonare”, plus the still hugely popular pop/folk rock classic “Volta La Carta”, a cover of the late Fabrizio De André, the most popular Italian singer-songwriter, with whom they once played a few shows together. During that one, Di Cioccio again showed off his versatility: he’s not only a good singer (when he sings in Italian), but still a high-energy stage entertainer too. Many a much younger singer could envy his bouncy stage presence and his incredible knack for getting the audience going, an audience that took part and breathed along with the band the whole time.
The band then got “serious” again and played a great version of “La Carozza Di Hans”, another prog rock classic from their cult debut “Storia Di Un Minuto” (1972), which especially thrilled the longtime fans who value the complex and atmospheric symphonic prog rock artworks in their music most. PFM also remembered their latest album, the excellent “Stati Di Immaginazione”, and played “Agua Azul” and “Cyber Alpha” from it. The latter was once again marked by an outstanding guitar solo from Franco Mussida, a guitarist who can easily be placed alongside masters (and influences) like Steve Howe and David Gilmour. On some songs they allowed themselves short improvisations, and the always superb, jazz fusion-bred Djivas took time for a few short solo displays too, showing off some rarely seen tricks on the bass guitar.
The sound was once again top-notch throughout the show, though from the second song on it may have been a touch too loud, which didn’t bother me much. As for the stage projections, sadly there were none this time, even though before the show it looked like they wouldn’t be missed, as you could see a stretched-out screen in the background. We missed a bit of the extra ambient magic that animated projections and light effects can create, which we witnessed in Trieste, but in return this show had a different charm of its own. Other qualities of the band came to the fore instead, like the superb interaction with the audience.
The encore was almost standard, with both of their best-known classics, found on the cult debut “Storia Di Un Minuto”. First they thrilled us with a splendid version of “Impressioni Di Settembre”, and then they threw a closing party with a proper “festa”, that is, their best-known song, “E’ Festa (Celebration)”. Di Cioccio once again used it to invite the crowd to sing the chorus along with him, and the audience, with its enthusiasm and volume, definitely didn’t leave him hanging. Then, after thanking the crowd and to a roar of applause that just wouldn’t die down, they left the stage. Once again we witnessed a superb show from this legendary Italian prog rock institution, one of the few prog bands that time seems not to have touched when it comes to constantly conjuring up unforgettable stage magic, which is evident in their current studio work too.
The only thing I can fault them for this time is that they once again completely overlooked the excellent album “Per Un Amico” (1972), which is their best work in my book. During the rehearsal before the show you could even hear “Geranio”, but then they decided once again not to play anything from that album, which is getting pretty strange (like, say, Genesis refusing to play anything from “Selling England By The Pound”). But that’s a small thing compared to the overall brilliance of this concert, which in my eyes and ears ranks among the live highlights of the year. Catching the indestructible PFM, who once again more than enchanted us with their branching musical impressions, is a must for every sincere prog rock fan, as well as for everyone who doesn’t care about genre limits and simply loves listening to good melodies from great musical virtuosos, of whom there are fewer and fewer with each passing year.
Words: Teja Podgrajšek
Setlist
1.) Introduzione
2.) La Luna Nuova
3.) L’ Isola Di Niente
4.) Out On The Roundabout
5.) Maestro Della Voce
6.) Suonare Suonare
7.) Volta La Carta
8.) La Carozza Di Hans
9.) Agua Azul
10.) Cyber Alpha
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11.) Impressioni Di Settembre
12. E’ Festa (Celebration)
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