Jovanotti and the j street band: a return and a debut

Lorenzo enters the stage and runs it from the side to the side, turning on himself, exploring him, as if he were on an unknown island. Then he moves to the center, he stops in front of the microphone. Only after a few tens of seconds does the band attack “Montecristo”. First, Lorenzo stops and remains motionless, to enjoy the show of his return live, after a long and complex period.
It is the beginning of the Palajova, a tour of 50 dates in the Palazzetti, which started last night by Pesaro in front of 9000 people. The original plan included 2024, then, as the song says,

A siren cut his way, putting his career at risk. A long convalescence put him back on his feet and, after the publication of “the human body”, is finally the time to return to the stage.
The evening begins by quoting Dumas, the “One for all, all for one” of the “Three Musketeers”. But Count Lorenzo has not returned to take revenge as the Montecristo of the French writer: rather he just wants to take up his space. At a certain point in the audience they raise some white sheets with the writing “Welcome back”. “I say welcome to you, it is beautiful to find you” and repeats it several times, almost to be sure. “You are my people, but this is no longer a sports hall, it’s a starry sky.”

Simplicity and complexity, looking at the E Street Band

For his return Jovanotti had put the bar at the top, citing Springsteen’s and Street Band as a reference. Palajova is also the debut of the “J Street Band”, as renamed its new group of musicians, between confirmations of historical collaborators (Saturnino, Christian Rigano) and new entrances (above all Adriano Viterbini, one of the best Italian guitarists)
He reiterated his ambitions in the structure of the show, which is far from the mega-shows to which it has accustomed us: here the concept is simplicity, with the band protagonist as much as Lorenzo himself. He is in front, sings on a carpet that, he tells in one of the monologues, brought himself from home; behind the

Band, with the musicians who in turn reach him in the front row to duet with him. After all, only a megassermowith visuals that increase music, without overlooking it: you can now see movies, now images of what happens on stage, but digitized and elaborated in real time. Jova and his thus turn into real time into a Buddha, robot, parts of the human body.

You never change your dress, it keeps the same elegant suit, wearing a dancer shoes. It is less explosive than in the past on stage: While the show goes on, gradually resumes confidence with his voice, his body and movements. The singer is more than the showmanoften makes the Crooner behind an auction of the microphone: he is the conductor of a group of musicians who often re -elaborate the songs in Jam.
Springsteen fans could see him as a sacrilege, but Lorenzo’s reference looks like the bossboth for the sound of the first part in which the winds directed by Gianluca Petrella and the sound textures of Viterbini stand out, and in detail. For example, “I trust you” Sophia Tomelleri reaches him for a solo of sax, while he smears a telecaster with the same colors as that of Springsteen.

Funk, romantic, party

The show is divided into three acts: an initial more black and funk part which closes with a medley. After the start “Montecristo” attacks “The navel of the world”, putting several classics of his repertoire in the ladder (“The largest show after the Big Bang”). The format is that “Only Hits” together with more particular choices (“a good of the soul”) – while only 4 songs are present in the new disc.
The second part is the “romantic” section, Which starts with “magical girl”, has its center in “a world apart from the latest album and closes with another” slow “medley that culminates in” Serenata rap “.

The third part is the party on the partyfrom “Summer on” to “Fortunato boy”, who closes almost two and a half hours in concert – with a beautiful “I think positive” that culminates in a long Jam with Saturnino who quotes the bass line of “Pope was a Rolling Stone” and a “the human body” that starts quoting “Zorba the Greek”, with Jova and the choristers who dance the Sirtaki.

From Jova Beach to Palajova: a different idea of ​​live

The last part of Palajova begins by citing the Jova Beach Party, recalling images on the megassermo. But this It is a show that is placed at the opposite extreme of the spectrum of the staging choices: it is a concert-concert. Instead of trying to rewrite the format and bring it to an unusual place, it takes up the classic model in a place as many classic, the buildings.
In the show there are choices of a simplicity in some ways almost radical: The stage is divided into two parts with Lorenzo in front of him and the band behind slightly raised, and this every now and then leaves a little emptiness.

The only scenic found -.The artistic direction is by Lorenzo himself with Sergio Pappalettera – there are 10 bright “flowers” suspended on the public and on stagewho open and move, a theme also recalled by the quote of a poem by Mariangela Gualtieri projected on the screens: “What are the flowers? Don’t you feel like a victory in them? The strength of those who return from another world and sing the vision “. Words also projected on the screen, which precisely make the concept of Lorenzo and Palajova precisely.

The evening ends with the party of “Fortunato boy”, with Lorenzo who ends as he had started, turning for the stage. But if first it seemed deliberately disorganized, now he is happy and relaxed: the first has gone, the return is accomplished. What we saw in Pesaro is un artist more mature, who resumes the scene in his own way, with a show that is complex and full of ideas even in its simplicity.
We continue with three other dates in Pesaro, while the Palajova arrives at the forum for the first of 12 (12!) The next week, almost all sold out, like the whole tour (37 out of 50).
Welcome back, Lorenzo.

The ladder

Montecristo
The navel of the world
Evolutionary tension
Noon
The biggest show after the Big Bang
101
I trust you
A good of the soul

Medley Funk:
This is my house, hands up, the tribe that dances, oh, life!, Move you move, so much,
Make it turn it, megamix

Magical girl
Sun radius
A world apart

Slow Medley:
Like music, I will look for you, point, Serenata rap

To you
Summer on
I love you baby
The immortals
The pockets full of stones
Remember to live
Out of wave
Saturday
Yalla Yalla – I take you away with me
I think positive

The human body
Lucky guy