Burt Bacharach

Last night, at Parco Novi Sad in Modena, I watched a performance by the great (75 years old and counting, though wearing them enviably well) Burt Bacharach, a genuine living legend, as well as the inspired author of some of the finest pages of Sixties, Seventies and Eighties easy listening, of so-called "lounge" music, and of numerous film scores.

The concert, lasting roughly an hour and a half, ran through the man's entire career: he performed virtually all of his best-known songs (unfortunately in truncated form, almost all rearranged down to just the main verse and a chorus), grouping them into medleys and organizing them by theme: his early work ("Magic Moment"s, "The Story Of My Life", "Please Stay", "I Wake Up Crying"), the big hits ("What The World Needs Now Is Love", "I Say A Little Prayer", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "My Little Red Book", "(There's) Always Something There To Remind Me", "(They Long To Be) Close To You" and many, many others), the film scores ("The Look Of Love", "The Blob", "Casino Royale", "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head", "What's New", "Pussycat", "Arthur's Theme" and, again, many more), his recent work, solo or with Elvis Costello ("That's What Friends Are For", "God Give Me Strenght"), two encores ("What The World Needs Now Is Love" and a couple of other splendid pieces sung in Bacharach's own frail voice) and then everyone went home.

A very "American" concert, for better (just look at that setlist!) and for "worse" (nothing seemed left to chance: Burt's own introduction to the show came with a pre-prepared translation scrolling on the screen behind him, along with various winks to the crowd clearly planned in advance. Of course, from a Bacharach concert one hardly expects major variations on the basic theme...).

On stage, a four-piece band (bass/drums, a synthesizer, a tenor sax and a trumpet, alongside Burt's grand piano) and three backing singers (two women and a man who, truth be told, didn't strike me as especially gifted).

Bacharach is one of the great melodic talents of the century, and his music has reached the hearts and fired the imagination of millions of people: I'm glad to have been able to see him live, even though he did nothing more and nothing less than what I expected of him. Perhaps that's exactly why I'm happy about it...

Ride the wave of great music

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