The roar that welcomes him, at his «Napoli, are you there?», while it descends from above on a platform suspended over nine metres, is one of those reserved for champions. And football metaphors abound Geolierprotagonist of a hat-trick of concerts in the stadium of his city, the Diego Armando Maradona: it is the first time that an artist scores three consecutive concerts, all sold out, a total of 145 thousand people will arrive in this place and applaud him.
On Friday, on the first date for the first 48 thousand, the most heroic fans did not give up camping outout since the morning, enveloped in scorching heat and welcomed by human puppets with his appearance. Geolier, a record-breaking rapper at just 24 years old, reciprocated with a extra-large concert of over 30 songsamong fireworks, blazes, bands and a 16-string ensemble, not to mention the visuals and giant leadwalls.
Self Sanremo, where he came second in a din of controversy and debate, he brought it into the homes of all Italians, clearing rap in Neapolitan and elevating it to a national phenomenon, the stadium in Naples is his home, it is the place of his team and his idol, Maradona , as well as the stage to celebrate his career so far.
The ladder draws from all three albums, between deadly flow and melody that draws on the Neapolitan tradition: we start with «Per semper», from the latest work «Dio lo sa», released two weeks ago and stable at first place in the charts. «Money» and «So Fly» take you back to «Il courage dei bambini», the best-selling album of 2023. «Moncler» goes back to the beginnings of «Emanuele», because Geolier is Emanuele Palumbo, from Secondigliano, where he still lives, even though today he is a rap big name dressed in Prada. «My dreams were smallerthey didn’t get to this”, he tells the audience who knows every song by heart, in a chorus that almost drowns him.
«I want to make a promise to all of you: I will never change. When one day I make a mistake, you have to scold me like you do with children”, he continues. On «Si stat’ tu», comes the dedication to «a love that unfortunately is over, but it is a love, always»: his ex-girlfriend Valeria, from whom he has just made his separation official.
There is no shortage of guests, starting with Luchè and Gigi D’Alessio who were with him on the controversial evening of Sanremo duets. Before «I p ‘me tu p’ te» he also talks about Ariston: «They booed me, but I don’t want to talk about that. I want to talk about what we all did together. You defended me, you voted for me, and I will defend you and my city forever. On that stage I wasn’t alone, it was us, you and me.”
On the song «Cadillac» MV Killa and Tony Effe arrive and one also arrives Real Cadillac on stage. Guè, Lazza, Rose Villain and Mahmood are also expected between tonight and tomorrow.
The video interludes reconstruct the Geolier phenomenon: him at 13 showing off a perfect freestyle in the bedroom, the elderly people of Naples who talk about him. A polarizing phenomenon, divided between those who adore it and those who don’t understand it at all, starting from the dialect.
But Geolier, just by looking at the stadium, is now a star and also takes on the challenges head on controversies surrounding rap: «I have always received a lot of criticism, to which I have never responded. Don’t take away from us artists the possibility of telling our good and our bad, but above all the bad and good of people. We tell the bad things, like a movie. We artists do not have the responsibility to educate, we tell what happened in our families, in the streets. Music saved us from the streets».
Naples acclaims him, come on «P Secondigliano» who anointed him the choir is deafening and he calls a group of children onto the stage. The fireworks are getting higher and higher and Geolier is already looking ahead: he will return with another maxi date on 25 July 2025 at the Agnano Racecourse.
