Maneskin, the Italian band break the rules of Rock & Roll

Maneskin's first time at the Stadio Olimpico was a riot of powerful rock and flames that set fire to a Rome caught in the grip of Charon's heat for two consecutive evenings. Shortly after 21:00, Damiano David, Victoria De Angelis, Ethan Torchio and Thomas Raggi, finally stepped on stage and the crowd went crazy. Damiano & Co have also gained fame for their their ambiguous, flamboyant dress as a form of expression for their sexuality,  It is therefore not surprising that Damiano, after presenting himself to the public dressed in an elegant pinstripe suit, quickly got rid of the bulky jacket to remain bare-chested.

The light-hearted atmosphere, the unique setting have created an excellent base for a concert that is successful in all its details. Damian sang Gasoline and Don’t Wanna Sleep with an arrogance of sex, drugs and rock and roll that only he and a few others can afford without sounding cloying, fake or presumptuous. Victoria's bass riffs rail against the superficiality of the American star system in Gossip, a track that sounds far better live than on Spotify.

On stage at the Stadio Olimpico, Maneskin do well flaunting that cocky attitude to lyrics that make even the most sexually uninhibited listeners blush. "Oh, mamma-mamma mia, spit your love on me. I'm on my knees and I can't wait to be able to drink your rain", is the intro of the song Mamma mia, words that well summarize the formula of the group's success .

The Maneskins have literally come a long way. Chosen's funk-rock ideally tells the story of the band, from performances in the center of Rome to the top of the world. The frantic rhythm of the song overwhelms the crowd that seems almost sucked into the vortex of the frontman's ego. Charisma, grit, talent and a scratchy voice, Damiano has a stage presence that is not only captivating but also theatrical. It gives the feeling of having the audience in hand. Standing up to him is Victoria, throbbing and sensual, who prowls the stage with an audacity that risks slipping into artifice, but in the end never happens.

On "Own My Mind" and "Supermodel" we sing, dance and jump. Måneskin parade on stage like real rock stars, they are a well-oiled machine. Damiano has fun and amuses the audience with whom he talks a lot. "It's always It was an obsession to get to make a stage like this", he confides to the fans a moment before performing Iron Sky by Paolo Nutini a capella. An interpretation that gives the chills. It is one of the most poignant and intense moments of the concert. The band tries to compose himself and the pace picks up again with songs from the latest album “RUSH!” which now has over 1.3 billion streams.

The highlights of the show are of course the superhits Loneliest, an emotional track that shows the band in a more vulnerable light,  Beggin and I wanna be your slave. The rock reinterpretation of the famous song by the Four Seasons, still at the top of the American charts, has seduced the States. “They tell us it's a cover, yes it's true but we did it well,” underlines Damiano. The hit machine grinds song after song until the last song in the lineup, the unedited and powerful punk of Kool Kids, on which, as expected, the Maneskin have invited many fans to join them on stage. Those who, think that  these four characters are soon to be in recovery as the next new wave of silly geese take the stage, need to find a peace. Fot now, at least.