Moon Live Review: Laura Pausini at Stadio Olimpico in Rome

Laura Pausini is one of Italy's biggest stars, a singer song-writer with a wide international following, not least because she performs in Spanish as well as Italian (and also records in English, French, and Portuguese). Your Cultural Correspondent (Film and Theatre) first came across her while having dinner in a restaurant in Venice some seven years or so ago. Her album, 'Tra te e il mare', was being played and as song followed song, Your Cultural Correspondent (Film and Theatre) grew to be more and more of a fan.

Imagine then their delight that some seven years after first hearing Laura's voice, they were able to see her live, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, as part of her 'Simili' tour of Italy. 'Simili' is the title of her latest album and is the number she both opened and closed the show with. You can experience it here:

Other new tracks included:

Sono solo nuvole which she sang while sat on a swing high above the stage. Impressive!



and

Per la musica, performed as part of one of the final medlies:

New material aside, Laura belted out track after track from her extensive back catalogue (twelve albums and counting), many of them in shortened and medley format.

Of the 'old stuff', naturally a highlight for Your Cultural Correspondent (Film and Theatre) was 'Tra te e il mare' given that is where it all started:

There was also 'Io Canto':



and

'Limpido' - a solo performance of the song she recorded with Kylie Minogue.



Then there was 'Incancellabile'. She introduced this track by telling an audience member to touch his wife's stomach. He would, Laura announced, find that she was pregnant. Affecting stuff.



As was her dedicating a song  - 'Invece no' - to an audience member who had lost her mother the day before the concert.

Ably backed by her musicians, a selection of singers, a number of dancers, several costume changes, superb lighting and special effects which didn't in any way detract from the voice, displays of her fantastic and playful sense of humour, and two guests, Laura kept the 50,000 people in the Olympic Stadium entertained non-stop for almost three hours. Many of those people were singing and dancing along, including Il Romano. Laura is their favourite singer and they've never seen her live before so it was a memorable evening all round.

If we had one criticism to make, it was how over-amplified the vocals were. We're at a loss to know why they should have been given how powerful Laura's voice is, but over-amplified they were so much so that Il Romano was moved to comment, 'Che te strilli?', a wonderfully Roman line they often use to Your Cultural Correspondent (Film and Theatre).

Over-amplification aside, it was a truly marvellous show which it was worth waiting seven years for and Your Cultural Correspondent (Film and Theatre) left it feeling rather sad that their being abroad at the time means they won't be able to see Laura when she plays Hammersmith in October. Che peccato!