Italian glam-rockers Måneskin command NYC

Italian glam-rockers Måneskin commanded NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Friday night. We were able to catch the first of two sold-out shows at the venue as part of the band’s Loud Kid’s Tour.

The night was focused solely on the band as the show had no openers, but fans did not seem to mind as the band needed no warm up to build excitement. The audience was dressed for a rock show and the sound of the fans speaking Italian was electrifying as the crowd waved Italian flags in anticipation of their favorite band taking the stage.

Composed of vocalist Damiano David, bassist Victoria De Angelis, guitarist Thomas Raggi, and drummer Ethan Torchio, Måneskin has deserved every bit of their quick rise to stardom. After finishing second in 2017’s Italian X Factor and continuing on to win 2021’s Eurovision Song Contest for Italy, they were launched into the International spotlight.

Opening with unreleased track “KOOL KIDS,” Måneskin began a performance that was full of good ‘ol rock ’n roll. After playing the song that won them Eurovision – “ZITTI E BUONI” – the band continued with more hits from their multiple albums, including, “IN NOME DEL PADRE,” “SUPERMODEL,” “Close to the Top,” and “CORALINE,” before performing the song that launched them into the North American charts: a rockin’ cover of “Beggin’” by The Four Seasons.

The night continued with more covers as the band payed homage with their versions of “I Wanna Be Your Dog” by The Stooges, “Blue Jeans” by Lana Del Rey,” and “My Generation” by The Who. Måneskin did not forget about their other top singles and fan favorites, performing “I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE” and “MAMMAMIA” before treating fans to two new unreleased songs: “Gasoline” and “Touch Me.” During these performances Thomas sat on Damiano’s shoulders as they both performed their way through the crowd.

The set came to an end, but not without interacting with fans once again as lucky members of the audience were brought onstage to sing and dance while Måneskin closed with “LIVIDI SUI GOMITI.”

The band’s encore consisted of two tracks: their newest single, “THE LONELIEST,” featuring a beautiful opening guitar solo from Thomas, and a reprise of “I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE.”