The Italian rock band Måneskin performed a historic sold-out show at Madison Square Garden on Sept.21. The band was introduced to the world in 2017 when they placed second in the 11th season of X Factor Italy. The band’s claim to fame was winning Eurovision in 2021. Since then, they have performed at various festivals and toured worldwide.
Before this monumental night, Måneskin performed a pop-up lunchtime show in Times Square that brought in crowds and publicized their arrival in New York to kick off the North American leg of their RUSH! World Tour.
The band is bringing back rock in a way that appeals to the younger generation with its nostalgic callbacks.
The show opened with a high-energy performance of “DON’T WANNA SLEEP” off their latest album “RUSH!”.
The crowd jumped alongside the band as they took the audience through their discography and performed new songs like their latest single “HONEY (Are U Coming?)” and older songs from their previous albums.
There are marked differences between live songs and studio release, which were evident throughout Måneskin’s MSG performance. The songs are very production-heavy and are genuinely experienced through listening to the instruments and harmonies live.
Despite attaining global fame, the band has kept in touch with their roots and maintained a healthy balance of songs in English and Italian. The crowd tended to be quieter during the Italian songs due to the language barrier, allowing for more focus on the band’s vocals and instrumental arrangements. The set list also featured key songs like “I Wanna Be Your Slave, ” the band’s record-breaking single after winning Eurovision, and a cover of The Four Seasons song “Beggin,” which helped secure their win.
The performance at the arena which was nicknamed “Måneskin Square Garden,” for the night was truly extraordinary as it featured covers of “HUMBLE” by Kendrick Lamar and a tribute to Amy Winehouse through the song “Back to Black.” The acoustic tribute was performed on the B-stage which brought members of the band closer to fans leading to increased interaction.
There were many times within the show that the bassist Victoria De Angelis, guitarist Thomas Raggi and lead vocalist Damiano David, went down into the crowd to get up close with the fans. They have previously crowd-surfed at their performances.
The band also invited fans onstage to dance along to “KOOL KIDS,” a power-packed song that made for high-energy performances that Måneskin elicits from their fans. The band used this opportunity to interact with their fans and fans have used this time to show appreciation for the band’s work. There was a group of fans that lowered down onto their knees to bow for Raggi during his amazing guitar solo and created a circle around Ethan Torchio, the drummer for the band.
The way that the band and fans come alive during the concert is incredible to watch and experience. Måneskin has started the rock revival of the twenty-first century and taken the world by storm pulling in old rock fans as well as a new age of young rock enthusiasts.
