Italian progressive rock band Goblin played at The Canopy Club on Saturday for the final stop in its North American tour, performing the biggest hits by composer and founder Claudio Simonetti.
Goblin is mainly known for its movie soundtracks, which include several classic horror films such as “Dawn of the Dead” and various films from Italian giallo horror director Dario Argento, including “Suspiria” and “Phenomena.”
The band excelled at bringing these classic titles to life with an incredible use of all the instruments that Goblin is known for. The band’s current lineup includes Simonetti on keys, Daniele Amador on guitar, Cecilia Nappo on bass and Federico Maragoni on drums.
All of the members not only killed it at playing their instruments but also had great chemistry with one another. This was shown in small interactions where they would hype each other up anytime there was a solo.
Simonetti had wonderful interactions with the crowd, occasionally taking the time to not only explain upcoming songs but also small stories about the music or the band as a whole.
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For example, when Goblin performed the main themes to two classic films, “Halloween” and “The Exorcist,” Simonetti explained his love for horror films and how music can make a good film.
“If you don’t have good music, it’s not a good film,” Simonetti said. “Sometimes, you remember more of the music than the film.”
Simonetti’s love of horror films was shown through Goblin’s performance, as most of its visuals consisted of clips from the movies it worked on.
The Canopy Club was a great stage for Goblin to perform on, as the light and fog systems paired well with the music. However, sometimes, the projector for the main screen would lag and disconnect, leading to moments where an error screen replaced the stage’s visuals.
This hiccup in the performance didn’t necessarily take away from the experience of the set, as most of the audience still heavily cheered and raised their hands in a rock ‘n’ roll sign.
Goblin fan and audience member Mike Flanigan shared his thoughts on the set.
“It was really well balanced; they played everything you’d want to hear,” Flanigan said. “They covered new music, their last album and all the greatest hits from Goblin — a perfect setlist.”
There was no denying that the band hit all of its marks when it came to playing the titles it’s most known for, but it was also nice to see that it played some music not directly connected to a movie.
By doing this, Goblin highlighted other titles in its discography that might’ve been hidden by songs that were part of a film’s soundtrack.
Although this was the last stop in the band’s tour, Simonetti hinted at more shows and possibly a return to Urbana in the future. If this show presented anything, it’s that Goblin’s music shines wherever it goes.
