Damiano live (with Cremonini): “Italy pisses me off”
Damiano David’s “funny little fears” have turned into “funny little dreams”. Last night there were over 10 thousand at the Forum in Assago for the sold out first of the three Italian stages – the next ones will be 11 and 12 October in Rome – of the “Funny Little Fears World Tour”. And after the controversy that arose on the London date due to the comments on stage about Maneskin, Damiano tries to correct the situation and explain the reason for his solo career, declaring that his love with the band is not over.
The first Italian rehearsal for Damiano David as a soloist
The thing you notice when you arrive at the Forum is the international audience: in line and in the stands you could listen to speeches in different languages of the world, with people of all ages. There were those who came from far away and those who had to wake up early today to go to school. Among these Olivia, 8 years old, very excited for her first concert and anxiously waiting to sing “Talk to Me” with her mother, together with many others, adults and children, couples and groups of friends.
At 9.01pm the LEDs lit up and colored his name – the only visual on a minimal stage, as if to underline that the only protagonist of the evening was Damiano David – who made his appearance to the tune of “Born with a Broken Heart”, and then continued the setlist without interruption and without saying a word until “Voices”. And even if his solo repertoire is inevitably less known, the hard core of the fans was there and made itself heard. Those multilingual speeches became a single voice singing the songs.
“Can I say that Italy is the only place that makes me shit myself? I care about making a good impression” – said Damiano, breaking the silence. And perhaps it is for this fear that during the first part of the live he was almost hidden behind the lights which were at times insistently psychedelic.
The cover with Cesare Cremonini
“My career started singing covers on the street – he continued – I like doing them” – he said to announce “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars. On the subject of covers, however, it was “The New Star of Broadway” that stole the show, with the surprise entrance of Cesare Cremonini who at the end of the song addressed the audience by confessing that he loves Damiano “because inside his heart there are stars and there is also the road”.
The controversy over the Maneskin
As explained by the artist with a long reflection, the show was divided into several parts. “The first represents the first years of my career, where everything was beautiful and easy, the most beautiful thing that life could give me. Then I grew up and something broke, I understood that I couldn’t be understood the way I wanted to be understood. And this feeling has nothing to do – he was keen to underline it – with the other members of the band (Maneskin, ed.), it was mine. And in order to resolve it there was no other possibility than to do something alone, not because love it’s over or we hate each other, but because only I could solve it”, he says, trying to explain the words on stage in London which had made one think of internal quarrels and a reunion that was receding.
Thus, he explained, “Funny Little Fears” arrived. “This record made me realize that I was sad because my life was perfect but it wasn’t my idea of perfection, it was someone else’s. And not the other members of the band – he repeated to underline the concept – but of a younger, much less mature self, who didn’t have a fucking idea about what he wanted to do in life. And I still don’t have it, I’m 26 and I’m trying things. I like living my second life that started with this record because I understood many things and now it’s something very close to my idea of perfection.”
The “perfect life” as a soloist
Assist for “Perfect Life”, which officially began the second part of the show, when the psychedelic lights finally died down, leaving room for love. The finished one, of course, but above all the one for Dove Cameron, which can be felt in almost the entire setlist.
The initial shyness therefore left the field free for bravado on more lively songs such as “Zombie Lady” and “Tango” – “on social media they made fun of me for this piece, now that I’m doing a world tour everyone likes it” – and even a pinch of presumption that Damiano allowed himself during the song that he loves to sing live more than anyone else, “Tangerine”, shouting “How the fuck I am strong”, despite, in reality, not has always been super impeccable in execution.
Very last songs and the setlist – without Maneskin songs – reaches the end. “Thank you ladies and gentlemen” – he thanked Damiano, who immediately corrected himself by laughing. “Oh sorry, my brain shut down. Thank you ladies and gentlemen, don’t make fun of me!”.
Ladder
1. Born with a broken heart
2. The first time
3. Mysterious girl
4. Voices
5. Cinnamon
6. Locked out of heaven
7. Talk to me
8. Nothing breaks like a heart
9. Perfect life
10. Sick of myself
11. The Bruise
12. Tangerine
13. The new star of Broadway (with Cesare Cremonini)
14. Zombie lady
15. Tango
16. Angel
17. Over
18. Mars
19. Encore – First time
20. Naked / Solitude (Finale)
