Although the group has disbanded today, the founding member and lead composer of Goblin, Claudio Simonetti, has developed his own group, Deamonia, which plays tributes to Argento pictures, creates new works, and essentially keeps the candle of Goblin still burning.
When I found out he was going to be doing a concert, here in Tuscany, I totally flipped out. To get a chance to hear Daemonia would be incredible! Plus, it would be my first rock concert!
Halloween is practically non-existent here in Italy, yet the place where the concert was taking place would actually acknowledge Halloween. They have a local festival that parades through the town and showcase a variety of Halloween festivities.
When Sunday arrived, I took two trains to arrive at Longiano, a small town in the farther east side of Tuscany.
Traveling up to Longiano (from Cesena), I soon found the little town situated on a hill deep into the country. Longiano was developed around a medieval castle, and can still be visited as a museum.
As I explored the quiet town, I noticed that the center was being set up for the forthcoming festivities, set to commence in the evening. With much time until then, I ventured up the castle and spent some time taking in the sights from such a vantage point. The interior of the castle held artwork from local artists and a variety of local antiques. Nothing too interesting.
I encountered a very scary door, yet again:
Too many scary doors in Italy...
The view outside was splendid though!
View from Longiano
While charting the town, I stumbled upon thispleasant bench that provided the worst view of all time:
Afterward, I returned to my hotel and decided to take a nap in order to garner some energy for the exciting evening.
After having a very thoughtful encounter with The Sandman, I awoke to find that the festivities within the town had officially commenced.
Exploring the Halloween carnival throughout the town was really charming. They had jesters, fire-breathers, and Knights roaming the streets, putting on shows for children, families, and all visitors.
I captured a fire dancer putting on a very intriguing act:
Fire Dancer
While observing the festival, I noticed a small poster store on the corner of the street. The amount of original Italian posters the owner had available was astonishing. Obviously, he had been doing this for a very long time. After digging through a plethora of ancient scrolls, uh I mean posters; I found a wicked Tenebre poster. After picking it up, I returned to the center of the town. While wandering around, a random figure approached me and commented, "Very cool poster." It was Claudio Simonetti, himself!
I was soo excited, yet shocked. Stumbling to find words, I told him I was basically uber excited to see his performance tonight. Taken back by the fact that I was speaking English, he inquired my reasons for being in Italy. I told him about my study abroad endeavors and such. Since he had rehearsals to do, I bid Claudio Simonetti and his wife, adieu.
I spent the rest of the early evening enjoying the rest of the festivities, and as time approached for the concert, I headed into the theater to find a good seat for the anticipated show.
The concert was amazing! Daemonia played all the classic Argento pieces, as well as working in some incredible original compositions.
Here's Simonetti with a solo on the piano:
Simonetti Piano
The music was utterly bombastic. I could feel the bass on my chest! Argento's music had come to life!
Here's huge piece that records one of Goblin's most memorable works:
Profondo Rosso
After such an awesome Rock experience, I hung around a bit and soon found that I would be able to go backstage and meet the entire band!
I asked them about their favorite horror films, which turned out to be The Shining and The Exorcist. I also inquired about their most cherished Argento picture to which the response was resounding, Profondo Rosso.
Claudio Simonetti mentioned that he's been working with some French filmmakers for a forthcoming horror film, and hopes Argento picks him his forthcoming Dracula film. Simonetti's personal favorite horror film turned out to be, Psycho.
After spending some quality time with Daemonia, I bid them farewell and returned to my hotel.
I had a wicked Halloween, yet again, filled with a delightful festival, insane concert, and an unforgettable meeting of one of my favorite bands.
I also ended up becoming friends with the all the members of Daemonia on Facebook afterward. If that's not totally surreal, yet downright awesome, I don't know what is.
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