#SANREMO 2014 PRIMA SERATA - LIVE BLOGGING

We are about to start the 64th Sanremo festival. I will blog and comment live so please tune in. Allegria!

20.35 The preshow has started with Pif. We have a quick lesson of Sanremo; it's people, food, sights and all sort of useless facts.... Quite useless even if quite funny at times. The festival itself could have started at 20.30 instead of 21, as it will drag on way past midnight anyways....
20.51 Sigla Eurovision! 

20.53 Technical mistake to start with, the curtain didn't open! LOL. Fazio needs to improvise the opening..... remembering the events in Italy resently, train accidents, floods...

and then it seems there are protesters in the theater shouting to be heard.... to Fazio to read their letter... Oh dear, this is going to be a loooong night!
21.01 Fazio gets their letter on stage and intends to read it. The guys are escorted down from the ceiling. They seem to be workers with problems from Naples and Caserta. Social networks are already in fire. Is this planned or a real protest?

21.05 Today is birthday of late Fabrizio De Andrè. Dori Ghezzi (ESC 1975) was his wife and is in audience while Ligabue on stage performs one of his songs, in Genoan dialect, therefor the lyrics in Italian in screen.
21.09 First look of the very beautiful stage, the curtain is up!

21.11 Fazio  reads the letter. They say they have been without pay for 16 months even if going to work all the time. They ask the help of politicians as they can't go on like that. And they aren't the only ones. After this it's time for the advertising break, and then "We try to start the show" as Fazio said...

21.19 Enters Luciana Littizetto and it's fireworks. Verbal fireworks. LOL. As always she has it with most everyone and manages barely to keep her language proper. Or then not. She's the master of double meanings of words.....

She reads her annual letter of what to expect these days and what not.... She's at top form as expected and you can't just not like her, lol. She even asks Pope Francis to call her, her cellphone is ready and waiting.
21.27 The contest starts! Short introduction to the rules and voting. Last year Marco Mengoni opened with L'Essenziale and won. Will Arisa do the same? She's one of the hot favorites this year.

21.28 Arisa with Lentamente (Il primo che passa). Dressed in black and silver. The song starts as a slow march and her crystal clear vocals fit in perfectly.  And she looks pretty as a porcelain doll. After her performance the televote is opened. One can vote four times per night.  But only if you are over 18 years old.

Controvento is her second song. It's another midtempo song with lovely orchestration. I like them both, can't decide which one I prefer with one hearing really!
21.39 Tito Stagno on stage to announce the song that continues. He has also announced Italians a man has landed in moon.... 64% for Controvento!After small talk with Tito Luciana announced we have a 1,5 minutes pee break! Pipí!

21.43 Next one out is Frankie Hi-Nrg Mc, father of Italian hip hop....  Un uomo è vivo is his first song. Yawn. The orchestration has its moments but... yawn.  Only rap. If he had some guest vocalist to sing the chorus this might work. Now it's just plain painful.

Pedala is reggae. More interesting and it seems the chorus has a real earworm. I almost like this. Sort of. Maybe. Luciana thanks the orchestra, as we know Sanremo has the good old big orchestra! Fab! To announce the results are divers Tania Cagnotto and Francesca Dallapé. I vote for Pedala..... and Pedala it is! And pubblicità!

22.02  Enters Laetitia Casta and she doesn't manage to say one word as Luciana goes on like a train.....  heavily joking on Fazio's fondness of La Casta.... but it's been many, many years they were on this stage together last time..... Anyways, it's a bit crazy she gets paid who knows how much just to walk on stage for a few minutes, make promotion of herself and her projects and speak bad Italian. Oh well. Also this is Sanremo.....

Oh, Fazio sits her down and sings to her in French Ne me quitte pas.  Maybe she earned her euros after all.... and she gets even as she sings, too..... Fairplay! Only shame we had to witness all that. Thank God Luciana replaces Laetitia after awhile..... but then she re-enters in a Moulin Rouge kind of number. Yawn. I will go have a snack......
22.22 Late Enzo Jannacci is remembered in a rather charming way, Fazio was wearing his jacket in that number. Then Enzo appeared in the backdrop.
22.28 Finally back. And it's Antonella Ruggiero, the legandary voice of Matia Bazar (ESC 1979). Looking fabulous in black.  

Quando balliamo is her first song. Accordeon and her voice make up the song, a slow nostalgic and atmospheric one. She's not everyone's cup of tea but she has done generally good in Sanremo, Italians have a soft spot for real, original artists.  

Da lontano is her second song. Another atmospheric, beautiful midtempo one with amazing vocals. A spontaneus applause by the public in the middle. Maybe more instant and easier this one and I guess I prefer this one. Sounds even a bit Battiato-esque somehow. Amayrus Perez will come and tell us the result. Luciana goes a bit wild..... and with 68% it's Da lontano! Bene.

22.43 We move on fast to Raphael Gualazzi and The Bloody Beetroots. First Tanto ci sei. Bluesy, full of soul, gospel choir on stage, Raphael in top form. Very nice. Best served with a drink in some jazz club.

Liberi o no follow. They are the first ones to have a totally different songs. This is a bit psychedelic Motown I'd say. The gospel choir is still there. I guess I prefer Tanto ci sei for it's magical atmosphere over this noisy uptempo one. Luigi Naldini, a genes researcher will come and announce the result. 63% for Liberi o no. Oh well...

22.57 Raffaella Carrá! At tender age of 70 she puts today's showgirls to shame. As an recording artist it's another story. These were apparently songs from her latest (flop) album.....

And Luciana gets to imitate her in her megahit Rumore. A long time ago. And Fazio and Raffa remember the good old times....

23.26  Cristiano De André next. First  Invicibili. Acoustic guitar, violins, spoken verses. Very light. Chorus in Genoan. Earlier tonight we had an homage to his late father Fabrizio. Pleasant, but I have never been a big fan of this kind of Italian singer-songwriter scene.

Il cielo è vuoto is his second song. Starts with piano and then grows with beat and melody. More dramatic, almost musical or theather like. I like this somehow. Propably Invicibili will qualify after all.... Cristiana Capotondi will come and reveal the result. 53% for Il cielo è vuoto. He would have preferred the other one it seems....

23.41 And we move on to second last act tonight, Perturbazione.  First L'Unica. Always fun to see rock groups in smokings in Sanremo, the good old days! Lovely opening of the song and I must say I enjoyed this one. I admit I had no idea who and what kind band Perturbazione was but I'm nicely surprised.

L'Italia vista dal bar next. Another nice song, very summery in the melody and arrangements. Funny, the one name in the list I didn't know turns out to be a very positive surprise and maybe the best of the lot tonight. I have no clue which song will qualify! Massimo Gramellini will come as the result announcer. But before that publicità! And news.
23.56 74% for L'Unica.

23.58 Yussuf Cat Stevens on stage next.  He maybe legend or whatever but I will have a look around what's going on in the world outside the Sanremo's web stream.....
00.20  Another homage to a late artist, Freak Antony and then finally the last song by Giusy Ferreri, the songs not many have heard beforehand as she was absent from both the presentation to the press and the rehearsals here in Sanremo. She's also one of the hot favorites to win the whole thing. Let's see. First L'Amore possiede il bene.

Oooh, it's Bebbe Vessicchio conducting the orchestra! Luciana is exited!And so am I. He's a lovable legend.

Also Giusy trusts in black dress. The song is the poppiest we have heard tonight. Not bad at all. Never been a Giusy fan but she's doing a good job tonight.  

Ti porto a cena con me follows. Melancholy Italian power ballad. This could as well be the winner, who knows? Or maybe it lacks the last hook to make it the winner? Anyways, Giusy is very convincing tonight. A bit like Mengoni last year. I wasn't fan of his either before Sanremo last year.... Now I think I have to check her old repertoire as well as Perturbazione's.... Marco Bocci will announce the result. After pubblicità! Of course.
00.40 And the one is.... 57% for Ti porto a cena con me and Giusy is happy. So are we. We may have a winner.
00. 47. The End. Only four hours tonight.....