Guide

After fifteen years, Nic Potter’s musical path started anew on the beautiful stage in the center of Mazzini Square, in Guastalla (Italy), welcomed by an enthusiastic and warm audience of more than 500 people. It was the powerful bass riff of Elsham Road to define the path to follow, just the same song which had closed the famous Blue Zone Party concert in London, 1991. That was the last time Potter had played live with his own band. Joined on stage by some great musicians like David Jackson, Tony Pagliuca and Gigi Cavalli Cocchi, as well as young talents Franco Giaffreda (from Supernova) on guitar, Francesca Arrigoni (from La Betoniera) and Marco Olivotto on vocals, Potter gave birth to a heartfelt music happening, as studio tracks like Flowing River (from the album New Europe) or Icarus and Heaven (both from the latest studio album Dreamworld) where expanded and re – built with a very free and open minded attitude.

While two weeks before, at the Verona Progfest, the amazing rendition of a couple of early 70s VDGG tunes took everyone by surprise, in Guastalla the biggest emotion was hearing songs as The Sphinx in the Face and Cat’s Eye/Yellow Fever being played live by a band after so many years. Both tracks were performed with a very rock and powerful attitude, thanks also to the stunning voice of singer Francesca Arrigoni and to Tony Pagliuca clever keyboards and Hammond playing. It was Pagliuca and Jackson who took care of Graham Smith violin parts during Cat’s Eye, leading the band into a long and intense coda, which reminded a lot of the There Goes the Daylight version: Jackson and Giaffreda interplay during the final part of the song was one of the concert finest moments. Darkness and Killer was the encore, both with Marco Olivotto on vocals: the performance was not flawless but the audience reaction was enthusiastic nonetheless. Who hoped to hear some new Potter songs was disappointed, but the straight power - trio tune titled “heavy riff”, which Nic wrote in Italy with the help of guitar player Franco Giaffreda, was a hint that Potter’s “new age” attitude now belongs to the past. Welcome back Nic, we missed you.

Setlist

1. Elsham Road
2. The Sphinx In The Face
3. Night Falls Over Guastalla
4. Heaven
5. Theme One
6. Flowing River
7. Icarus
8. Mission
9. Heavy Riff
10. Cat’s Eye / Yellow Fever

11. Darkness
12. Killer