Transcript:
Hello, everyone. I'm Davide Passeri. Over these five podcasts, I'll be sharing my thoughts on what I saw across the five nights of the 74th Italian Song Festival. I want to thank Ombre e Luci for giving me this opportunity. Let me be clear from the start: I'm not a music critic, not a professional DJ. I'm just a humble music lover who's been buying records since childhood and has followed the Sanremo Festival for years.
First, I should mention that the festival is accessible to people with visual and hearing disabilities through video description and sign language interpretation. It's also available in 4K. Everything is on demand too, so you can watch the press conferences later on Raiplay, whether live or recorded. The festival is fully accessible all around.
The opening night began with a performance by the Carabinieri Fanfare, and all 30 big acts performed. Honestly, I would have split them—fifteen artists one night, fifteen the next—just to build curiosity for the second night. It would also keep things from running so long. Last night went until 2 a.m. But Amadeus knows what he's doing. That's just my humble opinion.
Marco Mengoni was the co-host for the first night. Very charming. He did a medley of his own songs and performed "Due vite," and he was excellent—really likable. He also introduced a few songs with Amadeus. Then there's Fiorello. He made a deal with Amadeus: he'll be co-host on Saturday. There's a different co-host each night, and Fiorello promised not to take the stage until Saturday. So he can work the audience at the Ariston, inside and out, but not on stage until then. Fair enough. Fiorello's always charming, sometimes a bit much, but he's good at holding the stage.
Among the main acts, I really loved Irama. He performed a very melodic song, and I love his work when he goes in that direction. Like when he did "Bella e Rovinata"—I loved that one. Irama usually does more rhythmic tracks. Mannoia's song was nice, but it disappointed me a little. She's usually so deep in her melodies, so consistently beautiful, and I expected more from her. Ricchi e Poveri brought their signature Sanremo style—very rhythmic, not bad at all. I didn't care for Dargen D'Amico or Santi Francesi. Too much trap. I don't really love trap music. I prefer something much more melodic.
I was deeply moved by the tribute to Giò, a musician killed in Naples by a sixteen-year-old boy just because Giò tried to help a friend. His mother spoke. Her words were so touching—I got emotional. The message "Nun te' scordamo" was beautiful too. I love Naples, I love Neapolitans, so I'm always moved when I hear the Neapolitan dialect.
That's what stood out to me from the first night. I caught most of it live, and I went back to Raiplay to catch whatever I missed. These are just my simple thoughts from someone who loves music and buys records. I'm not a critic or a DJ, as I've said. Just sharing my experience with you. I hope you've enjoyed it.
That wraps up the podcast for the first night. Join me next time for the second night.
Thanks, everyone. This is Davide Passeri.