Nuclear Tactical Penguins: the great karaoke
It's a golden moment that they are experiencing Nuclear Tactical Penguins. The band has grown silently over the years, with a constant achievement of public approval, showing in live shows the degree of “penetration” in listeners. From the clubs in their Bergamo area to the triumphs of the stadium tour last summer (read San Siro stadium review) and now an incredible series of 33 spring dates in sports halls, all sold out. All for over a million tickets sold in a year. And finally, in the last few days, the announcement was made that in the summer of 2025 the band will return to the football facilities with (for now) nine live shows (opening at the RCF Arena, which they had already filled in September 2023 at the end of the summer tour) (Read here).
A large audience
An interesting phenomenon that manages to hit the public's taste right in the middle; taste that the six penguins intercept well and return amplified to the million spectators gathered in just one year. A concert by the band goes beyond simple musical value, it is a sort of collective ritual, a moment of great sharing between people of different backgrounds. In the stands of the Milan Forum (in the first of the five Milan concerts) you can see everything: from primary school children to first-class boomers, all passionate about sharing PTN's songs. The building in the Lombardy capital (but not only, it will be like this everywhere) is transformed into a huge karaoke, made up of around 12,000 people who sing all their songs by heart together with the band.
After the large spaces of the stadiums this “Fake News indoor tour – Let's not lose sight of each other” is reduced in size of the stage but little changes in the musical substance. The backbone of the band's music remains the same: a robust pop, fully played and which also sees the presence of some guitar solos that fit into the typical song form. The words and concepts expressed in the lyrics written by Riccardo Zanotti are then added to the musical base. The songs in the setlist remain the same but are “mixed” in a different way, some rearranged.
Visual and fireworks
From the moment the lights go out, the visuals that scroll on the big screen behind the band are very striking: colorful images, drawings and light games, while two other side videos show images of the stage. For them too, as seen a few days earlier with Subsonica, a dynamic stage, made up of platforms that rise and lower and a sort of “cage” video where further images flow. There is also no shortage of fireworks and laser light displays.
A thought for the Palestinian people
Riccardo Zanotti is the frontman of the band but also leaves room for the other members of the group who participate in the introductions of the songs, done through stories and tales. And amidst so many lights there is also the moment to take a look into the darkness of what is happening in the Middle East. Elio “takes it wide” when introducing “Bergamo” and invites the audience to take out their house keys and jingle them to transform them into a musical instrument. But the memory goes immediately to those who don't have a home, have lost it and live in a tent like the Palestinian people. And he reads a poem by a poet “of those lands”, the late Mahmoud Darwish, a Palestinian writer and poet. Then follows, still on the theme of the house, the performance of “Bergamo” with its melodies.
Another moment of reflection arrives on the notes of “Ricordi”, a song that addresses the problems linked to Alzheimer's and the erasure of memories. So much so that for the occasion the band disappears behind a screen to signify the absence, the emptiness. Only to then find Zanotti illuminated by the spotlight as he sings in the side stands of the Forum.
There is also no shortage of curtains for the DJ set and the acoustic table with the six around a table singing acoustically. At the end of the acoustic section, the band's return is literally pyrotechnic, with the drummer's fiery sticks hitting the drums.
The main road is pop emotions
If the path of the Nuclear Tactical Penguins is that of pop, it must be followed to the end and then let it be pop, involving the public in the show, giving them what they like most and what they share. And so, show within a show, the role of the audience is primary. Singing at the top of your lungs all together with a great spirit of sharing, the certainty of being in a common moment, a sort of secular mass, an event participated with warmth and passion are the fundamental and founding elements of this concert. The sensations and emotions that the Nuclear Tactical Penguins give to their audience are evidently shared by a large segment of music consumers who are passionate about this concert and who return home with great satisfaction (to the tune of Coldplay's cover of “Fix You”).
Ladder
Write to her stupid
Scooby-Doo
Vegetables
Hold On
The Neverending Story
Bergamo/Hikikomori
Out of the hype
Lake Washington Blvd
Cans
Giulia
Classy dinner
Young Wannabe
Memories
The banality of the sea / Tetris / Bagatelle / Monopoly / Skiing
Steal my night
Coca Zero
Antarctica
Dentist Croatia
Laugh (with cover of “Fix You” by Colplay)
Encore:
Zen
Ringo Starr
White pastel
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