Taranto in the world thanks to Medimex

Last Sunday, Medimex closed the 2024 edition with a double concert (Jesus and Mary Chain – Pulp) that will be remembered for a long time also because of the duet between the two frontmen of the bands and for the tribute to our country by Pulp who included in the setlist a song, “Bar Italia”, that they had not performed for over a decade. The tireless and perfect organizational machine of this increasingly international festival (tickets purchased from 30 different countries), however, is already projected to the next edition (it could be the last since in September 2025 we vote for the regional elections …).

Cesare Veronico, the organizational ‘frontman’, has already moved forward with the work although now he needs to pull the plug: “There are negotiations already at a good stage. The artists, as is known to those in the sector, book their options a year in advance. The theme is obviously not yet defined, I’m focusing on it but, as happened with every edition, I’m imagining something that gives me the chance to do something I haven’t done yet.”

Some critics of the event have stated, with a hint of venom, that the artists invited to Medimex are mainly those that Veronico likes…

“Since the first edition I have been doing the things I like. I put a lot of passion into it and I am emotionally exposed. If the things that I like have this type of performance… I’m not so despotic, let’s be clear, because Medimex is the fruit of my taste combined with that of the public that revolves around this event. The judge is third and I believe that up to now the consensus has always been broad. I absolutely claim this freedom of choice, it has been the constant throughout my career. And for this I thank those who have always placed their trust in me, starting from President Emiliano who has always defended my choices, up to my collaborators who are the ones who work hard for a week without sleeping at night to best organize the 75 initiatives of the festival. Our organization has reached a level that has no comparison in Italy. There is no festival in Italy like Medimex and this is thanks to all those who work behind the scenes and to whom I extend my affectionate thanks.”

During the budget he stated that it was the most successful edition and also the most ambitious. Why?

“We have gained even more loyalty from our audience (almost 2,000 thousand subscriptions for the two evenings), we have reduced the inconvenience caused by the traffic block in the Borgo di Taranto by focusing on two evenings at the weekend instead of three, we have further internationalized the festival as we were aware that bringing The Smile didn’t need much explanation. They are magnetic, fascinating, enveloping, one of the bands, among the few in the world, that manages to take the contaminations found in rock one step forward. Perfect fusion between experimentation, avant-garde and melody.

While it was, perhaps, ambitious to bring a band like Pulp that was only the third time in 25 years that it had come to Italy. I remember well the skepticism that there was around this announcement in April but I did not see anyone who came to enjoy the concert of this band who in the end did not have fun, confirming what I was sure of: that it would be the surprise concert of the summer of 2024. We would all like to see our favorite band play live, practically on our doorstep, but we also need to be open to other experiences, listen before judging. My mission is to bring initiatives to Taranto that are international in scope and of great quality. I challenge anyone to say that this has never happened before”.

Finally, how did you emotionally experience the “hit” of an unreleased duet on stage between the two frontmen of JesusMC and Pulp and the inclusion of “Bar Italia” in the Pulp setlist?

“When I received the JMC setlist before the concert, as usual, I looked at it. After ten seconds I looked at it again and I focused on that Jarvis next to it… and I understood that it would be a special evening. We perceived the international impact of what happened on Sunday evening almost by chance when we saw how the news of the duet had been shared by important English and American music portals (including the New Musical Express, ndc).

I’ll tell you an anecdote: when behind the scenes we gave Jarvis Cocker a traditional Apulian object (as can be seen from the opening photo taken by Ela Francone it’s a small illumination for village festivals, Madonna is crazy about it, ed.) to be happy with it and subsequently to have performed it on stage thanking the organizers, I sensed his desire to surprise that Italian audience who had, inexplicably, so little of him. He wanted to understand what his reaction was to the show he saw. He was very excited and it was clear that he would spend himself on stage, as actually happened, in the same way as a few weeks earlier, in front of a much larger audience (over 20 thousand people) at one of the most important festivals. in Europe (Primavera Sound of Barcelona). On the Medimex stage he truly gave everything, giving an evening that would be difficult to forget. Too bad for those who weren’t there!