Everyone sings in Neapolitan tonight, how the Italian song has changed since the first time Gigi D’Alessio took the stage in Plebiscito square: it was September 19, 2000, his “national” career was taking off, but everyone was asking him to repudiate his dialect, or rather his language, in favor of Italian. The album, yes, but in Italian.
In Sanremo? Yes, but in Italian. In the rankings? Yes, but in Italian. On TV? Yes, but in Italian. At the stadium? Yes, but in Italian. For a while he put on a good face, then, little by little, he returned to the language of song, Neapolitan, in perfect harmony with the rap and urban cyclone that was revolutionizing the scene, without ever stopping frequenting the Dantesque idiom, which also brought him so much good.
Here he is, opening his eleventh Plebiscite – at the end of this series of concerts he will have reached 18 – with three hip hop champions (Geolier, Clementino and Guè) to the tune of «Never give up», and then have practically all the guests of the evening sing in Neapolitan, Umberto Tozzi excluded (with him, from Turin, there is room for a medley between «Quanti amori», «Gloria» and «Ti amo»). The Roman Elodie and the Savona area Annalisa they take home the title of true adoptive queens of cantaNapoli. Especially the first: she is the mysterious voice of «’Nu dispietto», most will discover it on deferred TV, when, on Thursday 13th, the best of Alessiana’s first two evenings will be broadcast on Raiuno. But the property of his Neapolitan also stands out in the ancient «A love story», rediscovered for the occasion: «I have always sung in Neapolitan, in my house it dictated the law and I know Gigi’s songs by heart», he says radiant and beautiful as always in the backstage, where the mayor Gaetano Manfredi, the prefect Michele Di Bari and the president of Sony Andrea Rosi also met.
In theory the test should be more difficult for Scarrone, she comes from the North, but she even competes with «Annare’», Gigi’s first great success, we were in the years of neo-melodic madness. Nali does great and then plays with her friend/colleague, creating a fun mash up in which their «Mon amour» coexist: so different that they fit together well, before sharing «Sincerely». She also sings in dialect Nancy Brilliwho, during rehearsals, crashes among the choristers, incognito.
Not the entire set list is destined for television, every now and then the cameras go off, but in the meantime D’Alessio puts his hand to his oldest repertoire as well as that of the new album, «Fra», alternating on the large stage which has his back to the basilica of San Francesco di Paola with the smallest one among the fifteen thousand spectators, in front of the Royal Palace. The orchestra conducted (and «arranged») by Adriano Pennino how the dance troupe lays out the show that lives on the invited “friends”: it’s there Hernia (plus Elodie) for «I would like», there is Francesco Cicchella for a gag sung between «Cient’anne» and «’O sole mio» which becomes «New York New York». There are The Kolors, who certainly have no problems with the dialect of «Chiove» and then make the square dance («Karma», «A boy a girl», «Italodisco»). It’s here again Clementine (“Come suena el corazon”) and, of course, there is Emanuele Palumbo from the Gescal district, the superstar of the evening, of the Neapolitan summer, of the year: if everyone here sings in Neapolitan, if even Sanremo changed the rules for him, he must have some merit. And G&G, Gigi and Geolier (who doesn’t take advantage of the opportunity to promote the new album «Dio lo sa») are tender in sharing the new «Senza tucca’» and then, again with Guè, «Brivido» and «Chiagne».
Tonight we repeat, but the “friends” change, to the joy of the TV program: they arrive Alessandra Amoroso, Fiorella Mannoia, Lda, Arisa; Antonella Clerici withdrew at the last moment. It’s easy to predict that, with the classic exception that proves the rule, they will all sing once again in Neapolitan, the language of the song. Then in the next performances – 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16 June – D’Alessio will be a little more alone, even if he has already invited president De Laurentiis to present Conte to the crowd (“open stage for him, even when I’m not there”) and doesn’t rule out other friends and other surprises. And he will be able to give the “his of him” audience a few more songs from his early years, improvise, let himself go to the pleasure of singing in chorus with the “his of him” crowd of him. Who already yesterday made waves to accompany «’O posto d’Annare’», «Si to know dicere», «Cumpagna mia», «Non dirgli mai», «The path of age», «Photomodels a bit poor”, “Good morning”, “Napule”.
