“Che cos’è la musica? Un lampo che illumina la tua mente, o quel che dopo ne rimane, dandoti speranza.”
(What is music? A lightning illuminating your mind, or what is left afterwards, bringing you hope.)
With these words and loud drums, Ermal Meta opens his heart to his hometown and his tour date in Molfetta, Bari, on the San Domenico dock, a wonderful setting for a wonderful concert.
The Albanian singer comes back home with his Non Abbiamo Armi Tour, following his new homonym LP released in February of this year, after his victory at the Italian music competition Sanremo with Fabrizio Moro and their song Non Mi Avete Fatto Niente. The duo took the song’s meaning and beautiful vocals to the Eurovision Song Contest a couple of months later, obtaining lots of following and praises by the general public, mostly because of the deep and socially aware lyrics that shine a new light on the wars raging on in our world.
Non Mi Avete Fatto Niente live @ #Molfetta #NonAbbiamoArmiTour @MetaErmal pic.twitter.com/5gJ3sclO8q
— Clara??? ? – fighting @ me (@ThatsWhatIAm98) July 21, 2018
Among the many dates, this one was more personal considering the singer had played years ago in this city with his previous band, and it felt with the emotion he showed on stage: “(It was) the second concert with La Fame Di Camilla, in front of a public of 20 people or so,” he said, walking around the stage, “it’s one of the memories I’m most fond of”. But i Lupi, his beloved fans from all over Italy, didn’t really mind: everyone looked so proud of him, sharing red heart-shaped papers to hold up during the concert and dancing to the beat even in the incredibly hot weather the south of Italy is known for.
The songs performed were both from his new and previous albums, playing upbeat hits like Gravita Con Me and Volevo Dirti that had everyone, even Meta himself, jumping around the place, as well as his old title track, Vietato Morire, that placed him on the podium for the 2017 edition of Sanremo, and slower ballads. In particular, Ermal Meta sang Piccola Anima, his duet with the renowned Italian singer Elisa, with a twist: he first performed a short acoustic version of it, to let the fans sing their hearts out to the beautiful lyrics picturing an unrequited love, when suddenly everything stopped and the singer disappeared. As everyone struggled to understand what was happening, Meta got back on stage to show what had caught his eye: a poster made by one of his smaller fans, a six-year-old girl, which said “Ermal, will you marry me?” followed by her signature, and the crowd went wild with awe when he replied by dedicating the song to her.
Ermal Meta showed off his best vocals and talents, switching from guitar to piano to jumping around the stage to make sure everyone was enjoying as much as he was – and it’s needless to say we all were. The screams and singing of the fans were louder than everything, as it always happens with i Lupi, and they got even louder when the singer decided to bring back two of La Fame Di Camilla’s songs, Niente Che Ti Assomigli and Un Pezzo Di Cielo In Più, although they suddenly stopped for the next track. It was quiet all over when Ermal announced he was going to perform a new song, a treat of his new tour dates, but imperative asked to turn off phones and such, to make sure no one was filming nor recording since it was a surprise, and he trusted his fans to be “more powerful than the internet”. Therefore, with only the lazy sea breeze flowing from the stunning and dark scenery around the dock, Ermal Meta performed Il Clown, which everyone hopes to hear a studio version of one day.
The encore, and the concert as well, ended with a cover of Straordinario by Chiara Galiazzo, winner of The X Factor Italia 2012, that had the crowd jumping around to a 130 bpm, and eventually A Parte Te, a relatively old but lovely song of Ermal’s to which the fans sang from the top of their lungs after the singer introduced it by thanking his mother for choosing the beautiful land of Bari as their new home.
Ieri Molfetta. #grazie ? pic.twitter.com/z9SGOYlN6K
— Ermal Meta (@MetaErmal) July 20, 2018
On these nostalgic notes, the date in Molfetta ended and the staff was quick to wrap everything up to move onto the next one in Caserta, where the singer is having his concert on July 20th, and the dock was silent once again as everyone slowly made their way out, leaving behind traces of an unforgettable night. I believe Ermal’s never-ending energy on stage, firing up the crowd, even the ones that were watching from nearby balconies and rooftops, is what made all of this an incredible experience. His talent and stunning vocals were the foundation, but what built his fame and songs were his power and his way of pouring emotions in every single verse, as if they still meant what they used to when he wrote them.
What do you think of the Albanian singer? Would you like to know more about him or are you already in love with Ermal’s Non Abbiamo Armi? Let us know @CelebMix!