Last Saturday, the 27th, Lacuna Coil presented a live performance titled L'Ultimo Concerto ("the last show," in English), but, to the surprise of fans, in addition to playing their hits, the group remained silent.
The aim of the unusual livestream was to draw attention to the situation of concert venues in Italy, which have been unable to operate for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The initiative, which featured over 100 artists in addition to the band itself, was free and took place as follows: each artist went on stage in a different location and, instead of playing their music, remained silent. Simultaneously, Lacuna Coil released a statement on their social media explaining the initiative.
“You were expecting to see a live show while we just remained silent. This is not a bad joke. This is the situation for live music venues in Italy. Places where we know many of you,” they wrote. “It is with this bitter taste in our mouths that we ask for your support. For them, a live show without music is not a live show. A silent music venue is not a music venue.”
Thank you for being a part of this, for your support, and for being present at this very moment which I hope will be a turning point. From now on, we only want to talk about the next live show.”
The initiative divided fans, with some saying that a better way to support music venues would be to actually put on a show. Today, the 28th, vocalist Cristina Scabbia posted a video on social media explaining the situation. “I understand your frustration and believe me when I say that Lacuna Coil wanted to get on that stage and perform for real, but what you need to understand is that organizing a show isn't easy and there are more costs involved than you can imagine. The goal of the Italian protest that happened yesterday was to bring attention to the music venues that are closed in the country.”
Scabbia also thanked fans for the noise they made on social media, as it helped bring attention to the issue. "Thank you for your support and I hope to see you soon at a real show," she said, concluding the video. Watch the full statement below.
