GIACOMO VOLI QUEEN PROJECT: QUEEN Acoustic Tribute (Live)

In the Heavy Metal world, Italian singer Giacomo Voli is renowned for being, for ten years now, the singer of the legendary Power Metal band Rhapsody of Fire. After recently playing with the symphonic orchestra and choir of Milan, and in between festival dates for the summer, he took the time to participate in a small and original project: covering Queen in an acoustic and intimate setting. Accompanied by guitarist Nik Messori and Francesca Mercury (narrator and backing vocals), the event was not only a concert but an evening of music and storytelling.

Le Brin de Zinc is a small venue in the French Alps, not far from Chambéry, and has a local and loyal audience, who were sadly deterred by the overwhelming heat of the day, and thus the place was far from packed for the evening. Too bad for them, as the venue was equipped with rows upon rows of fans blowing delightfully cool air, which made the concert all the more comfortable.

The setting of the event was rather unusual, as for once the musicians were at the back of the stage and were leaving the front to Francesca Mercury, the storyteller for the evening. It’s no wonder she chose this stage name, as she was quite the specialist of the band’s history. In between the songs, she told in excellent French (despite her claims that she was rusty) a series of anecdotes about the band and the legendary Freddie Mercury. This was not tedious at all, as she kept things entertaining and to the point, thus installing a comfortable rhythm for the evening.

The setlist focused on both Queen’s hits and slightly less-known songs. However, if you were hoping for truly deep cuts into Queen’s discography, you might have been a bit disappointed. An acoustic rendering of some of these songs was far from an easy feat, but the musicians rose to the occasion. Giacomo Voli’s voice was spot-on for the entire set. He did not try to imitate Freddie Mercury but made each song his own, passing from an emotional to a powerful register with ease, supported by an excellent soundcheck.

Out of the many highlights of the evening, the medley of “Bohemian Rhapsody” with “Killer Queen” and “March of the Black Queen” obviously stood out. “Hammer to Fall” was also one of the best. From the ballad side, Voli’s vocals reached a peak with “Love of My Life.” “I Want It All” was a strong point as well in the performance, during which Nik Messori lent his voice to the ensemble.

With this project, Giacomo Voli proved, if it was still needed, that he is an incredibly versatile artist. It was a very nice experience to hear him break free of the epic tales of dragons so dear to Rhapsody of Fire.

Lineup

Giacomo Voli – Vocals, piano, guitar, rhythmics
Nik Messori – Lead guitar
Francesca Mercury – Narration and backing vocals

Setlist

1. Don’t Stop Me Now
2. Hard Life
3. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
4. Another One Bites The Dust
5. Under Pressure
6. I want To Break Free
7. Bohemian Rhapsody medley (Killer Queen, The March Of The Black Queen)
8. Radio Gaga
9. Save Me
10. A Kind Of Magic
11. Who Wants To Live Forever
12. I Want It All
13. Hammer to Fall
14. Show Must Go On
15. These Are The Days Of Our Lives
16. Love Of My Life
17. We Will Rock You
18. We are The Champions