L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Continued from page 4 color changes throughout the performance and well matches the vibe of each song. In addition to his work as a music artist, Zucchero has b e e n c o n t r i b u t i n g t o fundraisings and projects to bring awareness to many i s s u e s , o r g a n i z i n g a n d attending concerts in collab- oration with other artists, both in Italy and around the world. Just to mention, in 1992 Zucchero and Luciano Pavarotti brought the con- cept of the P a v a r o t t i & Friends charity gala to life. The first edition, broadcast live worldwide, was the first in a series of benefit con- c e r t s t h a t a r e n o w h e l d annually. He was a special guest of the Rolling Stones when they played in front of 200,000 people at the IMST Festival in Austria, and he a p p e a r e d w i t h M i c h a e l Jackson at the Red Cross charity concert in Munich. Zucchero was also invited by Bono of U2 to play at the New York Net Aid charity. Zucchero wrapped up his North America tour in early October in Tucson, Arizona, after some stops on the East Coast, in Canada, and on the West Coast, in Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. The show in San Fran- cisco, held at the magnifi- cent venue of the Palace of Fine Arts, opened with a v i d e o o f h i s s o l o p e r f o r - mance in an empty Piazza San Marco, in Venice. After that, fans got a full hour of blues before a short break. "I just need a coffee, don't g o a n y w h e r e , " Z u c c h e r o kindly asked when he left the stage to his band for a f e w m i n u t e s . H e t h e n returned for more music, a t r i b u t e t o P a v a r o t t i w i t h M i s e r e r e , a n d t h e g r a n d finale of Senza una Donna. L'Italo-Americano talked to Zucchero for an interview about his latest work and the international tour. Let's start by taking a step back: this concert was scheduled for April 2021, then it was post- poned to the end of Sep- tember. How was your experience of the pan- demic, both from a pro- fessional and personal standpoint? The pandemic was as diffi- c u l t f o r m e a s i t w a s f o r everyone else. However, I spent time working on many projects. I filmed a home ver- sion of Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime for Lady Gaga's Global Citizen One World Together at Home, which aired worldwide on April 18 th 2020. I collaborat- ed with Bono to record Canta La Vita ... Let your Love be Known, for which we made a video at the Colosseum in R o m e , a n d I w o r k e d w i t h Michael Stipe to record and film, in an empty Venice, Amore Adesso ... No Time for Love. Also, I recorded the new Discover album. Lastly, I was also able to spend some good time with my family, which I normally can't do because I'm away on tour. You're an artist with years of experience in f r o n t o f a n a u d i e n c e . W h a t f e e l i n g s d i d y o u have when you returned on stage and met your audience live again after so many months? I love playing music for my fans and it was great to start the tour this year in April. I've done over 80 con- certs and it was a fantastic feeling to go back to perform- ing live after all this time. You are one of the few Italian artists who can capture the interest of f o r e i g n a u d i e n c e s , thanks also to songs in E n g l i s h . W h a t k i n d o f advantage does it give you on and off stage? Do you consider it a plus for an Italian artist? I love playing for all peo- p l e , e v e r y w h e r e a n d a n y - w h e r e i n t h e w o r l d . I t i s always a challenge for me to perform in new places. I play some songs in English how- ever most of my setlist is in Italian because that's what the audience wants. Your tour of the Unit- ed States began in early September and saw sev- eral stops between the E a s t a n d W e s t C o a s t . W h a t k i n d o f a t m o s - phere did you find? What d o y o u e x p e c t f o r t h e final dates? My North American tour was great. The audience has been incredible everywhere, on the East Coast, in Canada, and on the West Coast of course. I am really enjoying this tour. With World Wild Tour y o u d i d s o m e s t o p s i n Europe, before return- ing to Italy in the sum- mer. It ends with some cities in North America. How did it go in Europe and Italy? I started with two shows at the Royal Albert Hall in L o n d o n , t h e n I w e n t t o Verona for 14 concerts at the Arena, my favorite place. Then, I performed in Ger- many, France, Switzerland, and the rest of Europe. It went really well and I ended up as a special guest of the R o l l i n g S t o n e s i n Gelsenkirchen in Germany. It was a great moment for me, as I met Mick Jagger at his birthday party last year. The list of songs you p l a y c h a n g e s f o r e a c h concert. Is there a par- ticular goal behind this choice? I've always loved changing the setlist on each show and playing different songs. So every concert is different and that's good for me and my band. Let's talk about Dis- cover, a collection with o t h e r a r t i s t s ' s o n g s . What prompted you to record an album of this kind? There have always been songs, written by other peo- ple, that I loved and wanted to sing, so I thought it was a g o o d c h a n c e t o m a k e a n album with some of those songs. You've collaborated w i t h p l e n t y o f o t h e r artists in your career. What makes a collabora- tion unique and success- ful? And which are your favorite collaborations to date? To work well, a collabora- tion requires a great rela- t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n a r t i s t s . Additionally, you need to c o m e u p w i t h s o n g s t h a t bring excitement to those who listen. I loved all my col- laborations and it's difficult to say which my favorite are. Miserere with Pavarotti was wonderful and the outcome was that we became great friends. I could say the same for Senza una Donna with Paul Young. You embody today's Italian blues. Is there an heir of Zucchero Forna- ciari in Italy or do we have to wait to see one? It is hard for me to name w h o m y h e i r m a y b e . I believe that Italy has some great new artists to watch and listen to. Zucchero said to L'Italo-Americano that "My North American tour was great. The audience has been incredible everywhere, on the East Coast, in Canada, and on the West Coast of course. I am really enjoying this tour." Adelmo Fornaciari, known as Zucchero, has just played in the US (Photo: Fabio Diena/Dreamstime)

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