ROME, May 28. /TASS/. Famous Italian recording artist Al Bano is looking forward to returning to Russia for concerts. The popular singer told TASS in an exclusive interview that performing in front of audiences and singing is what he missed most when self-isolating.
Al Bano spent nearly all the three months of Italy's lockdown due to the pandemic in his mansion in the southern region of Apulia where he celebrated his 77th birthday on May 20. However, TASS could only get through to the singer via phone in Rome after he interrupted self-isolation and travelled to the capital even though Italians are still not officially cleared to move between regions. "I have a good reason," the singer explained. "I was taking part in a TV program but I will head home in couple of hours."
He revealed that he is planning to return to Rome soon to shoot more programs. "But you cannot really call it going back to work. Yesterday, I was in the studio with the presenter and a few technicians. There are no conditions to properly resume work," the singer lamented.
All his concerts are postponed until next year. "We are all slaves to this damned virus, it commands and we have to obey," he complained. Al Bano believes that it’s pointless to hold the so-called small-scale concerts. "How can you perform a concert when all people should be three meters away from each other? It seems like a concert in chains for me, this cannot be called a concert, it is pure confusion," Al Bano noted, commenting on the proposals to hold open-air concerts for audiences of fewer than 1,000 people.
"Filmmaking, theater and popular and classical music — all these spheres suffered, but we are not the only ones, the whole human activity sustained losses. Only grocery stores were saving themselves because people need to eat something every day," he acknowledged. "I am a singer and I missed creativity in this period but when the conditions are stronger than us, I tried to use this time as best as I could."
According to the artist, history repeats itself every 100 years, which, unfortunately, is the case with viruses as well.
Al Bano is now dreaming of one thing — he wishes that "coronavirus died." "And I could sing again. A few months away from it is too much. I was supposed to travel to Russia in March, I can’t wait to go back to Moscow. I wish a lot of happiness to the Russian people, I watched the video you recorded singing Felicita [Al Bano’s arguably most famous song — TASS]. It is important for me to maintain ties with Russia. I want to again thank Russian President Vladimir Putin for helping Italy out, for the gesture of humanity and solidarity when he sent medical staff to Italy’s rescue. The world needs such gestures now," he concluded.