Transcript:
Hello everyone, I'm Davide Passeri. Over these five podcasts, I'll share my thoughts on what I saw across the five nights of the 74th San Remo Music Festival. I want to thank Ombre e Luci for giving me this opportunity.
I should say upfront: I'm not a music critic or an established DJ. I'm just a devoted listener—someone who's been buying records since childhood and has followed San Remo for years.
Welcome to the fourth episode of "Sanremo as Far as I Could See." The festival just wrapped, so I'm recording this practically live. Let's talk about night four, starting with co-host Lorella Cuccarini. She came out with archive footage and a medley of her biggest hits—"Sugar Sugar," "Noi stiamo insieme," "Tutto matto," and "La notte vola." In her dance ensemble was a particular performer: Emanuel. Except it wasn't. It was Fiorello in disguise, and he gave us a hilarious bit.
Amadeus surprised Lorella by recalling that her mother was a seamstress. He gave her a small doll that San Remo's tailor had made for her as a child—a very moving gesture.
Night four was dedicated to cover songs, with the major artists inviting guests to perform duets. Here's what was covered:
- Geolier with Gigi D'Alessio performed a medley called "Strade."
- Angelina Mango, with the Rome orchestra's string section, performed "La rondine" by Pino Mango—deeply moving.
- Annalisa and the Artemia Chorus offered their version of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics.
- Ghali paid tribute to Toto Cutugno with a medley titled "L'Italiano Vero."
- Alfa, alongside Roberto Vecchioni, sang "Sogna Ragazzo Sogna."
- Mahmood, with the Tenores di Bitti, performed "Come Profondo Il Mare" by Lucio Dalla, honoring the great singer-songwriter.
- Santi Francesi, with Skin, offered "Allelujah" by Leonard Cohen.
- Alessandra Amoroso, with Bubabash, performed a medley of "Le Radici Ca Tieni," "Mambo Salentino," and "Karaoke."
- Ricchi e Poveri, with Paolo and Chiara, did a medley of "Sarà Perché Ti Amo" and "Mamma Maria."
- The Kolors, with Umberto Tozzi, performed a medley of the Tuscan artist's songs.
- Big Mama, with Gaia, La Nigna, and Sissi, performed "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle.
- Irama, with Riccardo Cocciante, offered "Quando Finisce Un Amore."
- Negramaro, with Malika Ayane, sang "La Canzone del Sole" by Lucio Battisti.
- Il Volo, with Stef Burns, performed "Who Wants to Live Forever" by Queen.
The most emotional moment of the night came with the announcement that Jalisse would return to the San Remo stage—27 years after their victory—with "Fiumi di Parole." MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia showed interest in DJing, and Arisa delivered a moving performance of one of her signature hits, "La Notte."
Night's standings were determined 34% by televoting, 33% by the press and radio. Annalisa placed third, Angelina Mango came in second with "La Rondine," and first place went to Geolier with Gigi D'Alessio.
I'll say this: personally, I would have ranked things differently. But that's just my take. See you for the next podcast, covering night five of the San Remo Festival. Thanks everyone—this is Davide Passeri.