Tag: Goblin live

Live: Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin – Copernicus Center – Chicago, IL – October 15, 2023

This was my fourth time seeing some iteration of Goblin, the third time I’d seen a version including founding member Claudio Simonetti, and the first time I’d seen the film Demons (properly known as Demoni in Italy, where it was made). Simonetti and his crew were performing a new prog-rock version of the film’s score to a live screening of the film – the first time they’d done this in the United States.

It was a fun show right out of the gate, with good sound quality the whole time. Simonetti announced that the original score was synth-based, but hoped we’d all enjoy this new take on it by him and his band.

In case you haven’t seen it, Demons, is flat-out nuts and is about a bunch of people trapped in a movie theatre while most of the patrons turn into blood-thirsty monsters. I can’t tell you more than that, not because I’d spoil it, but because there isn’t more than that. Simonetti said he loves the film, stating, “I think it’s very funny.” It is, actually. It’s a wild ride, and so was their new score.

After that came a brief intermission and then they returned for another full set of Goblin classics and even some rarities – including the theme to Ruggero Deodato‘s crazy action / horror film Cut and Run.

And, of course, there was plenty of music from Dario Argento‘s films, including the themes to Opera, Tenebrae, Deep Red, and Suspiria.

Simonetti’s current band includes Daniele Amador on guitar (who played a great solo during the Opera theme), Federico Maragoni on drums (who delivered double-kick drum beats so fast that I thought they were programmed tracks), and Cecilia Nappo again on bass.

It was a fun night all-around, and a fun way to kick off the Halloween season. The crowd was made up of prog-rock fans, horror fans, and movie buffs. It felt like a bunch of friends (including the band) just hanging out to watch movies and listen to good music.

In other words, it was a fun party.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin – November 19, 2018 – Wealthy Theatre – Grand Rapids, MI

The moment I heard Italian composer and keyboardist Claudio Simonetti was touring with her latest version of Goblin and performing the live score to Dario Argento’s Suspiria while the film was shown, I knew I had to score a ticket to see the show.  The closest venue for which I could secure one was the Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  This would be the third incarnation of Goblin I’ve seen in the last few years and the first time I’ve seen Suspiria on the big screen.

The Wealthy Theatre is a small venue that hosts retro film screenings and live music performances.  I almost literally bumped into two men outside the venue who obtained free tickets after one of them had sold a computer to the drummer, Titta Tani, through Craigslist.  Neither of them had seen Goblin or Suspiria.  I told them they were in for a treat.

The film was a big hit with the crowd.  It had been a while since I’d seen it and I’d forgotten how much of a master’s course it is on lighting.  I noticed a couple people having to turn away from the screen during a couple murder scenes, so it’s still an effective horror piece.  Goblin did a great job with the live score, building tension and rocking out without overpowering the dialogue during critical scenes.

They played a full set afterwards of music from other film scores.  A big hit was their music from Dawn of the Dead.

They were really cooking by this point, and their pieces from Demons, Phenomena, and Tenebrae (which made the guy next to me stop in his tracks as he started to leave for the restroom) were also big highlights.  They ended with the main theme from Deep Red – a personal favorite.

The crowd was buzzing afterwards, and Mr. Simonetti and crew were kind enough to hang around in the lobby afterwards and sign autographs.  I saw many horror fans with DVDs, special collector’s edition vinyl, posters, and more, and everyone was patient and happy to be there.

It was a nice post-Halloween / pre-Thanksgiving treat.  Don’t miss this tour if you’re a fan of horror films, progressive rock, or film scores.  It’s selling out at a lot of dates and it’s well worth it.

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Goblin and Morricone Youth – Chicago, IL – October 25, 2017

The last time I saw horror / prog-rockers Goblin was in 2013 at Chicago’s Metro during their first tour of the United States.  It was a sold out show and one of the best I saw all year, so I was keen on catching them again on their “Sound of Fear” tour, especially since the lineup included four of the five original members – Massimo Morante, Maurizio Guarini, Fabio Pignaetti, and Agostino Marangolo (along with Aidan Zammit replacing keyboardist and founding member Claudio Simonetti).  They fact that they were playing in Thalia Hall – a former opera house – was a bonus.

Opening for them were the psychedelic / prog rockers Morricone Youth.  My friends and I arrived in time to catch the last two songs of their set.  Both were songs written as an alternate soundtrack to Night of the Living Dead.  The film played behind them as they rocked out and it was a great set-up for both Goblin and the Halloween season.

Goblin came out to a welcoming, albeit smaller than I expected, crowd.  I have no idea why more people weren’t at the show, unless the midweek date had something to do with it.  Regardless, Goblin came ready to play and to terrify.

They played a lot of stuff they didn’t play on their last tour, including tracks from the bizarre giallo film Beyond the Darkness (complete with grisly mortuary scenes playing behind them which might’ve made an intoxicated woman in front of us so woozy that she needed assistance leaving the main floor), another giallo Massimo Morante called Killer on the Train, and the bizarre alien invasion film Contamination.  I had no idea Goblin did the score for Contamination, so now I have extra incentive to track down that film.

Of course, they played tracks from their most famous film scores, starting with Profundo Russo (Deep Red).

They played not only the “Killer Doll” and main theme track, but also other songs from the film that you don’t hear often.  They did the same with Tenebrae, which is a giallo about a killer in an opera house no less.

They did the same with their score to Suspiria, playing music from the beginning of the film and the creepy scene in which the lead characters first start to suspect an evil witch is living among them.

It was another excellent performance that got better as it crawled along like some horrible thing creeping out of the shadows.  Goblin rarely get to the U.S., so don’t miss them.

Keep your mind open.

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