Marco Mengoni performs without a set list. Sessions behind closed doors where he reinvents the live show with anecdotes about the Beatles, forgotten B-sides and surprise covers. Cell phones prohibited.
No rigid schedule, no script. But sixty songs rehearsed and rehearsed in the studio, perhaps a few more, and the possibility of changing your mind at any moment. “We could go on for two days,” he warns Marco Mengoni to the public of Wrongthe Milanese restaurant of via Bligny 52in the Porta Romana area, which hosts his concerts until December 19th. As soon as the cell phones arrived they were closed in a container, no one could take photos or videos. «At a certain point you will say “enough, we can’t take it anymore, we want to go home”», he jokes with the audience.
Him standing, among armchairs, oriental carpets typical of recording studios and soft lights. In front of an audience of guests including friends Carlo Cracco and his wife Rosa Fanti, Checco Zalone And Antonella Clericisitting in the seats in the front row, here to enjoy the show.
The opportunity is to listen to the singer in a different dimension from that of the big stages, surrounded by his musicians and free to play with the songs.
The rediscovery of B-sides in the Milanese living room
It kicks off with “Sad Song”, introduced by a reflection on the B-sidesthe songs that don’t become singles but contribute to building the story of an album. «They told me that they don’t say side B anymore because they don’t exist anymore, but I like to call them that», he explains. The piece is from 2010 and has been revived with a new look, thanks also to the musicians who joined the band. Then come “ Tonight ” and “ Fire in the Straw ”. Mengoni jokes, he seems relaxed. He invites the public to go for a drink and says he feels less embarrassed than in other situations (which for someone who has been to stadiums makes you smile, ed.). “I learned the pieces but not how not to sweat,” he admits. He says that up until two days before the musicians rehearsed the pieces in the room, alone, but that the sensation changes when a connection with the audience is created. “This thing is really cool.” Before “Can I Call You Rose?” takes the time to explain why he chose to bring that song from The Sacred Souls on stage. «It seems like it was written in the 70s but it was released in 2022. I fell madly in love with it».
From Lennon to India: the stories behind the notes
Between “Forbidden”, “Calci e punches” and “A flower against the flood” there is space for a few jokes about current events and for dialogue with the musicians. «Today could be the right day to sing the American anthem (the Democrats have just won against Trump in Texas and Kansas for the midterm elections, ed.) but I don’t know the words», he smiles. But it is by introducing “Jealous Guy” that he tells a story that starts from India and ends up in John Lennonplaying with the band and the sounds.
«We are in the spring of 1968. I Beatles I’m in India for a transcendental meditation retreat. Lennon writes “Child of Nature”, a song which however does not convince his companions, especially for the lyrics linked to the Indian experience. The song remains in the drawer. Three years later, in 1971, Lennon takes it back, changes the words and transforms it into “Jealous Guy”, giving voice to a feeling of jealousy that concerns him. Mengoni also remembers the version of Donny Hathawayhis favorite singer. «I was dreaming of a past», he says before starting the song.
The unexpected alarm clock and timeless music
The music continues with “Protetti da me” and “Fate”. Here too there is no shortage of the unexpected. At a certain point the alarm on a hermetically sealed mobile phone rings. «Anything can happen here. It’s right that an alarm goes off, it could be morning», he plays. Then he turns to one of the backup singers, Bonnie. He asks her if she understands Italian, if she wants to give a song to the public. She is shy, he insists politely, switching from English to Italian.
The last chord of an open marathon
It’s time for “How Deep Is Your Love”, but the musical journey continues with “In two minutes”, “You won’t pass” and “Change a man”. Also on the setlist are “Take Your Time,” “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” and “Gravity,” along with “Every Little Bit Hurts” and “Due Nublume.” There is no shortage of other homages to the music that Mengoni loves, from “Son of a Preacher Man” to the last song, “Giornate perse”, which closes the evening.
A selection that crosses his repertoire and the songs of others, without a pre-established path. He had said it from the beginning. «There are enough pieces to last two days». Certainly here, on stage, until December 19th.
