The first of the 14 nights of Sugar in Arena has just ended. It was the 25 Aprila strong evening, an evening from Partisan Reggiano. It’s time to share some thoughts with him, not only related to music, but related to the world around us, a world that knows how to embrace us but also crush us. And at dinner the chatter slips away more freely. It’s been a while after midnight when Sugar arrives at the Grid to give the opening words to over two hours of nice words. There are reflections that will remain sealed at the table, daughters of a free but private talk, and others instead that accompany us in a world marked by the motto “wherever I put my hat, that’s my home”.
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deepening
Zucchero lights up the Verona Arena with his universal Blues
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You brought two songs to the stage, Pene e Without remorsewhich you haven’t done for a long time.
You’re right, I haven’t done them for a long time but I’m tied to these sounds. These are songs that I loved and never used as singles due to the rules of radio and record companies. I wrote them in a bad period of my life, they were born between 1989 and 1990, I was in a bad way and they came out. I wanted to relive them a bit, basically I’m someone who suffers, otherwise I wouldn’t have chosen to do the Blues. This does not mean that I am not goliardic, I also know how to have fun, plus this year it is almost a rebirth and I am amazed at how I started again.
How did you feel when you arrived in Verona after the success in London?
In England they are more open. I asked my manager Laura Vergani if, in her opinion, you could stand and dance at the Arena. You know I don’t want to be someone who incites if the fans can’t get up, I risk passing for the uninformed one … of course if you can incite me I won’t hold back!
Finally a full capacity concert!
I wasn’t expecting such a reaction. I was afraid people were still afraid, I told myself that maybe they don’t show up even if they bought the ticket. Then it was as if nothing had happened, I felt that they were almost afraid to express the desire to break everything. I thought people were upset and changed the lineup.
In Berlin, on May 29th, you will meet Eric Clapton, at whom you opened a concert thirty years ago.
We have known each other since 1989, when he came to Agrigento. They told me she wanted to meet me, I thought it was a joke. She asked me to open her dates on the European Arena tour. We met the next day at the hotel in Taormina and there was little to talk about, I said yes. I had never been out of Italy and the record company, as soon as he found out, started investing. I will always be grateful to him. As many times as I needed he came, even with the flu, without evidence and with an implant not of him. It is called generosity.
On the other hand, Eric Clapton has expressed no vax positions.
He is a hypersensitive person and in his own way tragic, otherwise he would not have gone through alcoholism. A free man like him says it caused problems on his nerves and hands: I don’t blame him, he was probably afraid. I think the vaccine caused some problems, hearing many people someone said that some things have been amplified compared to before, maybe it wasn’t the vaccine but we can’t know. Don’t get me started on things bigger than me. Let me be clear, I was answering the question about Eric Clapton, I know that the vaccine caused reactions to him. Van Morrison has also come out against it, even Tom Jones. This is freedom.
Does the war impact the world tour?
Kiev, Odessa, Moscow and St. Petersburg. I don’t go there but not for fear of war. It doesn’t seem like the time to go there. And yet I have big fans in Russia. Even here at the Arena I try to make the concert as light as possible but at least 6, 7 songs refer to the world of now. In Mother Dolcissima I replaced the Albanians with the Ukrainians. We talk about all the wars before.
How many songs are you ready to spin?
Over 50.
The charm of the Arena?
In Europe she is the most beautiful, outside Europe they have no history so she wins anyway.
What relationship do you have with contemporary discography?
Over 40 we are all adult contemporary. As people who want to dare we are in a very bad shape, if I release more records I will make the ones I like but I don’t know if they will work, anyway… who cares? You know, my records cost. And anyway, the life of an artist can no longer be tied to plans, go play where they call you.
Let’s close with the war again: Damiano of the Maneskin at Coachella exposed himself against Putin, do you think you can say something from the stage?
In the meantime … I wish I had a physicist like Damiano. As I said there are several songs that tell what is happening. There is a video of the complaint. What else do you need? That instead of Pippo put … Putin what the fuck are you doing?
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