Misplaced Pages

#337662

62-601: It is one of the best preserved ancient structures of its kind. In ancient times, the arena's capacity was nearly 30,000 people. The stage for concerts and opera performances decreases the available capacity to a maximum of 22,000. The building itself was built in AD 30 on a site which was then beyond the city walls. The ludi (shows and games) staged there were so famous that spectators came from many other places, often far away, to witness them. The amphitheatre could host more than 30,000 spectators in ancient times. The round facade of

124-481: A leading role, and even slaves participated in the festivities. In 67 BC, the Compitalia had been disrupted by a riot at the ludi , which were also the scene of disturbances in 66–65 BC. This unrest on the first occasion was a response to the trial of Manilius , who had backed reforms pertaining to the voting rights of freedmen, and on the second is attached to the murky events later referred to misleadingly as

186-621: A new interview with Trevor Horn . Also available as 2-LP, 2-CD or remastered single CD. Street Fighting Years received sharply divided reviews, with initial critical opinion being mostly favourable in the UK but less so in the US, where the album was much less of a commercial success. In his written commentary for the sleeve notes in the band's compilation album Glittering Prize 81/92 , Brian Hogg described Street Fighting Years as arguably "the group's most controversial release." Jim Kerr remembered

248-414: A part of modern records. We always wanted to incorporate both. I remember them running out of patience with each other... Trevor really tests you. I mean, he'll go, 'That's great, got it - now give me something I'd never expect.' And I don't think Trevor felt he was getting that from Mel, I think he felt he was getting the big thud the whole time, and it worked on some tracks, but maybe not on others." Gaynor

310-535: A sacred cow of the folk world? Great! The folkies were going, ‘You can’t fucking do that to "She Moved Through the Fair!", when the folk world changes lyrics and melodies around forever. I thought, ‘Give me a break, you’re only jealous you hadn’t thought of it first.’" The song "This is Your Land" was written early in the Street Fighting Years sessions but was one of the last to be completed, since Kerr

372-584: The Ludi Romani became the first games to be placed on the religious calendar as an annual event sponsored by the state as a whole. Games in the circus were preceded by a parade ( pompa circensis ) featuring the competitors, mounted youths of the Roman nobility , armed dancers, musicians, a satyr chorus, and images of the gods . As the product of military victory, ludi were often connected to triumphs . The first recorded venatio (staged beast hunt)

434-515: The pompa circensis . Ludi circenses were regularly featured in celebrating a triumph or dedicating a major building. They were part of the most important holidays and festivals, such as the Floralia , Ludi Romani ("Roman Games") , and Ludi Plebeii ("Plebeian Games") . During the Imperial era, circus games were often added to festivals for which they were not traditionally celebrated in

496-541: The Compitalia , the new year festival held on movable dates between the Saturnalia and January 5 in honor of the crossroads Lares . In the late Republic, performances were held at the main intersections of neighborhoods throughout the city on the same day. During the civil wars of the 80s , these ludi gave rise to often unruly plebeian political expression by the neighborhood organizations. Freedmen played

558-526: The First Catilinarian Conspiracy . Along with some forms of occupational guilds ( collegia ) and neighborhood associations, the ludi compitalicii were consequently banned by the senate in 64 BC. An unnamed tribune of the plebs supported efforts to stage the ludi for 61 BC, but the consul-designate Metellus Celer squelched the attempt. In 58 BC, Clodius Pulcher , who had given up his patrician status to become one of

620-520: The Genius of Augustus now stood between the Lares at the crossroads shrines, and the ludi once considered dangerously subversive became expressions of Imperial piety . Ludi circenses were games presented in the circus . The Circus Maximus was primarily a venue for chariot races, but other athletic events, races, and beast hunts might be offered as well. The games were preceded by an opening parade,

682-750: The Giro d'Italia . The first game of 2023 CEV European Women's Volleyball Championships took place in the Arena. Home team and defending European champs Italy faced Romania in the first game of Pool B. The closing ceremonies of the Milan — Cortina d'Ampezzo 2026 Winter Olympics , and the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Paralympics , are scheduled to be hosted by the arena. 45°26′20″N 10°59′40″E  /  45.43889°N 10.99444°E  / 45.43889; 10.99444 Ludi Ludi ( Latin :games; plural of "ludus") were public games held for

SECTION 10

#1732775666338

744-629: The Poll Tax , the Soweto townships, the Berlin Wall and the stationing of nuclear submarines on the Scottish coast. The album marked the beginning of a period of substantial personnel change for Simple Minds. Keyboard player/composer/founder member Mick MacNeil has subsequently mentioned that "Jim (Kerr) had already started talking about making changes" and the lack of equality and unity within

806-676: The ludi were understood as part of the worship of the traditional gods, and the Church Fathers thus advised Christians not to participate in the festivities. The singular form ludus , "game, sport" or "play" has several meanings in Latin. The plural is used for "games" in a sense analogous to the Greek festivals of games, such as the Panhellenic Games . The late-antique scholar Isidore of Seville , however, classifies

868-523: The American soul and gospel influences of its predecessor in favour of soundtrack atmospherics and a new incorporation of acoustic and Celtic / folk music -related ingredients including fretless bass , slide guitar and accordion . The lyrics built on the more political themes which the band had introduced with " Ghost Dancing ", moving away from the impressionistic or spiritual concerns of earlier 1980s Simple Minds songs and covering topics including

930-572: The Minds haven't produced a turkey of the first degree... Simple Minds are once again approaching the art of making music, breaking a silence , with wonder." Although he went on to criticize the tracks "Soul Crying Out", "Take a Step Back", " Kick It In ", and " Biko " as "flatulent bluster", Gittins nonetheless concluded that the album's "expansive, flushed music" was "huge, but it's rarely hollow ." Mike Soutar, meanwhile, wrote in Smash Hits that

992-469: The Republic. Circus games were held in various provinces throughout the empire, as indicated by archaeological remains of tracks and supporting structures, although many areas would have lacked costly permanent facilities and instead erected temporary stands around suitable grounds. The following lists of ludi are not exhaustive. Unless otherwise noted, the sources are Matthew Bunson, A Dictionary of

1054-651: The Roman Empire (Oxford University Press, 1995), pp. 246–247, and Roland Auguet, Cruelty and Civilization: The Roman Games (Routledge, 1972, 1994) pp. 212–213. Listed in order by month as they appear on the Roman calendar . The following ludi were held only once. Street Fighting Years Street Fighting Years is the eighth studio album by Scottish rock band Simple Minds , released in May 1989 by record label Virgin Records worldwide apart from

1116-537: The Scottish Highlands; at a house in rural Glenstriven on the shores of Loch Striven (on Scotland's Cowal peninsula on the West Coast); at bass player John Giblin 's own Barwell Court Studios in south London; and at Horn's Sarm West studios in west London. The earliest Bonnie Wee sessions took place before the studio had been fully built, and were open-ended explorations of instrumental ideas; with

1178-514: The US, where it was released by A&M . Produced by Trevor Horn and Stephen Lipson , the album reached the top of the UK Albums Chart . Produced by Trevor Horn and Stephen Lipson , it was a major stylistic departure from the previous album, 1985's Once Upon a Time . While still maintaining the epic arena rock sense of scale and drama which the band had developed since the mid-1980s, Street Fighting Years also moved away from

1240-486: The Verona Arena had not used any microphones or loudspeakers until a sound reinforcement system was installed in 2011. Arena di Verona Festival is a summer festival of opera, inaugurated in 1913 with Giuseppe Verdi's Aida , to celebrate the centenary of the artist's birth. In recent times, the arena has also hosted several concerts of international rock and pop bands, among which Zucchero Fornaciari , who holds

1302-418: The album thus: "Every song seemed to be about conflict, and it describes this age of chaos, the battle to try and remain intact with all this hurricane around us." In Britain, the album received glowing praise, including a rare five-star rating, from Q magazine; David Sinclair wrote that they had finally produced a record to justify their reputation, and praising the album's mostly quiet dynamic: "Even when

SECTION 20

#1732775666338

1364-417: The album was "packed with the kind of crowd-rousing flag hoisting anthems that everyone expects from the Minds", but thought the song's individual lengths meant that while they would "probably sound epic played live, they'll probably drive you quite mad in the comfort of your own bedroom." Less positive reviews, however, came from U.S. publications such as Rolling Stone whose writer Mark Coleman criticised

1426-518: The arena commenced in earnest due to the zeal and initiative of the Italian opera tenor Giovanni Zenatello and the impresario Ottone Rovato. The first 20th-century operatic production at the arena, a staging of Giuseppe Verdi 's Aida , took place on 10 August of that year, to mark the birth of Verdi 100 years before in 1813. The composers Puccini and Mascagni were in attendance. Since then, summer seasons of opera have been mounted continually at

1488-504: The arena, except in 1915–18 and 1940–45, when Europe was convulsed in war. In modern times, at least four productions (sometimes up to six) are mounted each year between June and August. During the winter months, the local opera and ballet companies perform at the Teatro Filarmonico . Modern-day travellers are advised that admission tickets to sit on the arena's stone steps are much cheaper to buy than tickets giving access to

1550-487: The band at the conclusion of the tour. Kerr and Burchill would remain the only official full band members from then on. Simple Minds released on 6 March 2020 a 4-CD Super Deluxe box set edition of Street Fighting Years on UMC / Virgin Domestic , including the original album remastered at Abbey Road Studios , a CD of B-sides, edits and 12″ remixes, a 2-CD unissued Verona live show from 1989 plus brand new book including

1612-442: The band for what the reviewer considered to be political vacuity: " Street Fighting Years stands as an unfortunate example of politicized rock at its most simple-minded." He also opined that the album's production was too clean, describing it as "so studio smooth that every song – whether it's a chugging, multi-layered call to arms ("Take a Step Back") or a floating, ambient meditation ("Let It All Come Down") – virtually slides out of

1674-467: The band's ranks soon became evident. Most of the initial writing and direction-setting sessions had only involved the trio of remaining original members - Kerr, MacNeil and guitarist Charlie Burchill - without the involvement of either Giblin or drummer Mel Gaynor , both of whom had remained in London during the Scottish residential sessions. Subsequent disagreements regarding both the recording process and

1736-415: The band, at one point, considering launching an instrumental side project called Aurora Borealis. What would become the new album's title track emerged during these sessions, and set another stylistic hallmark for the record - a break from the rhythm-section driven work of earlier album up until and including Once Upon a Time . Having previously resisted the Scottish folk music which he'd grown up with, Kerr

1798-408: The band; and thirty-one years later, Kerr would reflect "John was seven years older than us and I suspect we were quite brattish around him. He’d done so much more than us in who he’d worked with and he was a lone wolf who didn't say much. John’s stoicism added to his charm, but we always knew he was never going to sign up to Simple Minds' youth club." Following Giblin's departure, Stephen Lipson played

1860-433: The benefit and entertainment of the Roman people ( populus Romanus ) . Ludi were held in conjunction with, or sometimes as the major feature of, Roman religious festivals , and were also presented as part of the cult of state . The earliest ludi were horse races in the circus ( ludi circenses ). Animal exhibitions with mock hunts ( venationes ) and theatrical performances ( ludi scaenici ) also became part of

1922-441: The building was originally composed of white and pink limestone from Valpolicella , but after a major earthquake in 1117 , which almost completely destroyed the structure's outer ring, except for the so-called "ala" (wing), the stone was quarried for re-use in other buildings. Nevertheless, it impressed medieval visitors to the city, one of whom considered it to have been a labyrinth , without ingress or egress. Ciriaco d'Ancona

Verona Arena - Misplaced Pages Continue

1984-551: The cancellation of the Eurovision Song Contest , the Arena played host to Diodato , who had won the Sanremo Music Festival , for a special performance of his song ' Fai rumore ' in the empty arena. Italy had been one of the favourites to win and the performance became one of the highlights of ' Europe Shine a Light '. In 1981, 1984, 2010, 2019 and 2022 it hosted the podium and presentation of

2046-465: The chart-topping single " Belfast Child ", which had been released three months earlier. " This Is Your Land " was chosen as the lead single for the US, but with guest vocals from the band's idol Lou Reed , the single failed to make a mark on the pop charts. The album performed relatively poorly in the United States and produced no hit singles. At the time of release for Street Fighting Years ,

2108-462: The comet famously appeared to "announce" Caesar's newly divine status . Octavian recognized the value of the festivals in unifying the people, and as Augustus instituted new ludi within his program of religious reform; public spectacles and entertainments were thus subsumed by Imperial cult . The ludi compitalicii ("crossroads games") were entertainments staged by the neighborhoods or community associations of Rome ( vici ) in conjunction with

2170-510: The compilation Glittering Prize 81/92 , mourned what he found to be the "dramatic artistic decline (and parallel commercial rise)" of the band: "As Jim Kerr sank further into mega-stardom, the music suffered further as he indulged in piously cumbersome ballads like " Belfast Child " and "Mandela Day". John Aizlewood of Q disagreed, saying, "there was much to commend on Street Fighting Years and its follow-up, Real Life ". In 1989 Q magazine selected Street Fighting Years as one of

2232-553: The credits for the album suggested that Simple Minds had officially become a trio of Kerr, MacNeil and Burchill (all previous albums had credited the band as a full quintet). Unlike Giblin, Gaynor would rejoin the live band for the Street Fighting Years tour, and would remain an on/off member of the band in subsequent years. Malcolm Foster (formerly with The Pretenders ) was hired as the new bass guitarist. Having grown unhappy with constant touring and other changes, and wanting to spend more time with his family, MacNeil would abruptly leave

2294-533: The direction in which Trevor Horn was coaxing the band would lead to the temporary departure of one band member and the permanent departure of another. Despite having made significant contributions (including introducing the band to double bass on the title track and writing the ballad "Let It All Come Down"), John Giblin left Simple Minds in July 1988, halfway through the Street Fighting Years sessions. According to Kerr, Giblin unplugged his bass and walked out of both

2356-508: The favor of the people. The religious festivals to which the ludi were attached also occasioned public banquets, and often public works such as the refurbishing or building of temples. Following the assassination of Julius Caesar at the Ides of March in 44 BC, Marcus Brutus realized that a significant segment of the populus regarded him not as a liberator, but as the murderer of a beloved champion, and among other gestures of goodwill toward

2418-557: The festivals. Because some of these entertainments are not competitive "games", ludi may also be translated more generally as "shows". Days on which ludi were held were public holidays, and no business could be conducted—"remarkably," it has been noted, "considering that in the Imperial era more than 135 days might be spent at these entertainments" during the year. Although their entertainment value may have overshadowed religious sentiment at any given moment, even in late antiquity

2480-434: The forms of ludus as gymnicus ("athletic"), circensis ("held in the circus," mainly the chariot races ), gladiatorius ("gladiatorial") and scaenicus ("theatrical"). The relation of gladiatorial games to the ludi is complex; see Gladiator . Originally, all ludi seem to have been votive offerings ( ludi votivi ), staged as the fulfillment of a vow to a deity whose favor had been sought and evidenced. In 366 BC,

2542-483: The knife in until the release of the overblown " Belfast Child ", a U.K. No. 1 despite its snoozeworthy meandering and vague political agenda. The accompanying album, Street Fighting Years (1989) brought more of the same, although it cemented Simple Minds ' position among the coffee table elite." Meanwhile, in a retrospective review for AllMusic , Tom Demalon described Street Fighting Years as "an artistic and elegant album that might lack immediate choruses but draws in

Verona Arena - Misplaced Pages Continue

2604-505: The listener" and containing "some truly lovely moments". A review of the Themes box-set released in June 2008 from Q magazine discussed, "if at times the preciousness of the later work sets the teeth on edge, the sheer musical skill and undoubted power of the band makes up for it", praising the "brilliant atmosphere Simple Minds made their own." Music critic David Stubbs , in a review of

2666-504: The music takes off into the vast dramatic sweeps that will roll like huge breakers to the back of the stadiums of Europe this summer, there is little that could fairly be described as bluster. Simple Minds have done more than make a landmark album. They have assumed the mantle of authority." Ian Gittins, writing for Melody Maker , also commented on the grandiose nature of the album, comparing it to U2 's Rattle and Hum but more artistically successful: "Unlike their true soulmates, U2 ,

2728-449: The other to help. I just thought, ‘Oh, for fuck’s sake!’... I'm sure we didn't give Trevor and Stephen the easiest time, and it says something they didn't work together again after Street Fighting Years . We were a bit dead on our feet and it's still a frustration (that) that atmosphere was there." The album was written and recorded during residential sessions at multiple locations - the band's own new Bonnie Wee Studio near Loch Earn in

2790-692: The padded chairs available on lower levels. Candles are distributed to the audience and lit after sunset around the arena. Every year over 500,000 people see productions of the popular operas in this arena. Once capable of housing 20,000 patrons per performance (now limited to 15,000 because of safety reasons), the arena has featured many of world's most notable opera singers. In the post- World War II era, they have included Giuseppe Di Stefano , Maria Callas , Tito Gobbi and Renata Tebaldi among other names. A number of conductors have appeared there, too. The official arena shop has historical recordings made by some of them available for sale. The opera productions in

2852-523: The people's tribunes, restored the right of association , but even before his law was enacted, his aide Sextus Cloelius had prepared the way by organizing new-year ludi . The consul Calpurnius Piso , father-in-law of Caesar, permitted the games, even though the organizations that ran them were still outlawed. Caesar banned the collegia and ludi again in 46 BC. In 7 BC, Augustus reorganized Rome for administrative purposes into 265 districts which replaced but which were still called vici . An image of

2914-535: The people, he arranged to sponsor the Ludi Apollinares , held annually July 6–13. Caesar's heir Octavian at once upstaged him with Ludi Victoriae Caesaris , "games in honor of Caesar's victory," which ran July 20–28 in conjunction with a festival to honor Venus Genetrix , Caesar's patron deity and divine matriarch of the Julian gens . It was during these ludi , which also served as funeral games, that

2976-923: The record of the highest number of concerts in the location, 38 from 1989 to 2017, and the highest number of concerts during the same tour, 22 of the Black Cat World Tour , Roger Waters , Bruce Springsteen , Elisa , Eros Ramazzotti , Laura Pausini , Pink Floyd , Alicia Keys , One Direction , Simple Minds (whose concert film Verona was filmed at the venue during their Street Fighting Years Tour on 15 September 1989) Duran Duran , Deep Purple , The Who , Dire Straits , Scatman John , Mike Oldfield , Rod Stewart , Michael Flatley , Yanni , Sting , Pearl Jam , Radiohead , Peter Gabriel , Björk , Eiffel 65 , Muse , Leonard Cohen , Paul McCartney , Jamiroquai , Whitney Houston , Mumford & Sons , Kiss , Spandau Ballet , 5 Seconds Of Summer , Måneskin , 2Cellos and Evanescence . In 2020, following

3038-462: The remaining bass guitar parts on the album. For similar reasons, Gaynor was sidelined during the album sessions after disagreements with Horn. Kerr recalls "Trevor was trying to get Mel to do more than just 'the Mel thing'. Mel is brilliant. With certain tracks, like "Mandela Day", you're looking for something softer, perhaps. Trevor wanted him to be more diverse. Technology and drum machines were becoming

3100-462: The rest of the record ends up getting done pretty quick. There's a bit of that in Street Fighting Years , but mostly he'd kick the tyres of a song over and over, trying it a dozen different ways, until something was there." The music and themes on Street Fighting Years emerged as a reaction to Simple Minds' accession to the role of stadium rock band after years of effort. Kerr would later reflect "we’d had success beyond our belief and we were just on

3162-488: The results were sometimes inspired, the process was not without difficulties, with Kerr having to have an emergency meeting with Horn after six months of very slow work. "We saw hitching our wagon to Trevor and Stephen’s Fantasia production world as like strapping on rocket engines...(but) before he came along, Trevor told me, ‘Jim, one of the reasons we wanted to work with you is we’re bored of our thing,’” recalls Jim. “So there we were, two camps bored of their sound, looking for

SECTION 50

#1732775666338

3224-462: The sessions and the band without a word following a culminating disagreement with Trevor Horn. Kerr later noted that "John and Trevor didn't quite hit it off, I don't think, and John didn't quite like Trevor's instructions" and admitted "it had been a long, protracted recording process. And then there was one point when John certainly wasn't there." The band's previous bass player Derek Forbes has hinted that ultimately Giblin simply "didn’t fit in" with

3286-768: The speakers." CMJ took a more positive view, admitting that Street Fighting Years "lacks the inspirational anthems of the Sparkle in the Rain era" but "focuses attention on the passion of the lyrics, which have a political awareness and social consciousness that keeps those spots where the music falls short up on a high level." The album's grandiose, stadium-oriented stylistic departure from previous albums has since proved controversial with critics. Martin C. Strong , writing in The Essential Rock Discography , remarked that reviewers "didn't really stick

3348-463: The staging of ludi , the presiding official increasingly came to augment the splendor of his games from personal funds as a form of public relations . The sponsor was able to advertise his wealth, while declaring that he intended to share it for public benefit. Although some men with an eye on the consulship skipped the office of aedile for the very reason that massive expenditures were expected, those with sufficient resources spent lavishly to cultivate

3410-499: The verge of getting bored with our own thing. I don’t think we quite knew that, and we certainly didn’t talk about it, and it’s inevitable after ten years that it happened." After many years of lyrics which were intellectual, impressionistic or emotional in nature, Kerr had also decided that it was time to start writing about the outside world and directly political subjects, rather than his own emotional landscape (partially due to his ongoing divorce). "The last thing I wanted to write about

3472-457: Was eventually demoted to session player status, with much of the drumming in the studio being performed by Manu Katché (from Peter Gabriel 's band) and with former Police drummer Stewart Copeland contributing some drum programming. Despite the upheavals, Kerr would later defend Horn's various approaches. "[Trevor would] convince you anything was possible. If you think of Trevor's music, so much of his budget goes into one or two big songs that

3534-529: Was filled with admiration for the way it had been built and Giovanni Antonio Panteo's civic panegyric De laudibus veronae , 1483, remarked that it struck the viewer as a construction that was more than human. The first interventions to recover the arena's function as an opera venue began during the Renaissance . Some operatic performances were later mounted in the building during the 1850s, owing to its outstanding acoustics. In 1913, operatic performances in

3596-493: Was myself. I didn’t want to sit licking my own wounds... The word ‘activists’ might be pushing it, but we were from that background. It was inevitable the strains of that would come out in our music." As part of the intended changes, the band chose to work with the production team of Horn and Lipson, who between them had most recently been working with Pet Shop Boys , Frankie Goes to Hollywood , Propaganda (using several former Simple Minds bandmembers) and Grace Jones . Although

3658-410: Was now moved to seek out various covers of "She Moved Through the Fair", which the band would later refashion into "Belfast Child". Despite Kerr's initial misgivings about potentially producing a "mawkish, tokenistic and trite" adaptation, he became very proud of the song after its subsequent success as a single: "Am I still glad I did it?’,... too right I am. To have the balls to mess around with that big

3720-455: Was presented in 186 BC by M. Fulvius Nobilior as part of his ludi votivi , for which he paid with booty displayed at his triumph. As religious ceremonies, ludi were organized at first by various colleges of priests ; during the Republic , they were later presented by consuls , but became most associated with the responsibilities of the aediles . Although public money was allocated for

3782-401: Was unsure of how to finish it. After Kerr sang a verse using a Lou Reed impression, Horn suggested bringing in the actual Lou Reed for a guest spot. Initially intimidated by Reed's reputation as "the world's biggest curmudgeon", the band agreed to the suggestion, with Horn making the actual approach. Released in May 1989, the album became the band's fourth number one in the UK on the back of

SECTION 60

#1732775666338

3844-468: Was won back over to elements of it by Giblin, whom he'd heard playing the traditional Irish folk song " She Moved Through The Fair " on piano one evening. Kerr: "John is a deep guy, which was reflected in the music he played. I was captivated by this Celtic piece and, when he finished, I said to John, ‘Wow! When did you write that?’ and John replied, ‘About 200 years ago…’" Horn had already been pushing Kerr, without success, to work on "a Celtic song", and Kerr

#337662