Negramaro Captivates Audience at Arena Matsuri During Expo 2025 Osaka

Osaka: Italian band Negramaro’s debut concert in Japan attracted a big crowd at the Arena Matsuri at Expo 2025 Osaka. During a two-hour-long concert, the band from Salento performed some of their most well-known hits in Italy and beyond, making the public sing and dance to a repertoire offering a unique combination of electro-pop, rock, and romanticism.

According to Ansa News Agency, the concert included ‘Ricominciamo tutto’ (Let’s start everything all over again), a single debuted at the 2024 Sanremo Song Festival and part of the ‘Free Love’ album released last November. The band also played Italian pop-rock classics like ‘Estate’ (Summer) and ‘Parlami d’amore’ (Tell me about love). Negramaro’s performance of ‘Mentre tutto scorre’ (While everything flows), which launched them to stardom in 2005 at the Sanremo annual music extravaganza, was a highlight of the evening.

Other songs in the lineup included ‘Nuvole e Lenzuola’ (Clouds and bedsheets), ‘Marziani’ (Martians), and ‘Meraviglioso’ (Marvelous). At the Arena Matsuri, which can host up to 16,000 people, Negramaro also paid tribute to the late Italian singer and songwriter Lucio Dalla with two of his masterpieces: ‘Canzone’ (Song) and ‘Com’¨ profondo il mare’ (How deep is the sea).

The band’s frontman, Giuliano Sangiorgi, repeatedly sang a hymn to peace, in Italian and English, accompanied by the public. Meanwhile, singer and songwriter Elisa made an impromptu appearance at the concert to sing ‘Via le mani dagli occhi’ (Hands off the eyes) with Sangiorgi, cheered on by the audience. Described by Sangiorgi as “the queen of Italian music,” Elisa will be the protagonist of the Arena Matsuri on Wednesday, August 20.

The following day, on August 21, Achille Lauro will perform to close the series of concerts organized as part of the Italy Pop-Music Fest by the Italy Pavilion.