The first serata of the Sanremo Festival 2023 was livestreamed by Italian broadcaster Rai on Tuesday, spotlighting Marco Mengoni, who led the competition a decade after his Eurovision 2013 appearance with the theme L’essenziale. The night carried significant weight for Mengoni, given his prior success and the national expectation surrounding the festival as a showcase of Italy’s evolving pop music scene.
Yet the evening took on a different tone when a separate moment on stage drew heavy attention. WhiteTogether, who represented Italy at Eurovision 2022, shared the spotlight as a guest artist to perform her latest single L’isola delle rose. During her appearance, a technical malfunction interrupted the performance, triggering a ripple of reactions across the venue. The incident quickly became a talking point among viewers and participants alike as questions about sound balance and stage management circulated online and on social media.
In the ensuing moments, a 19-year-old artist, Blanco, reacted by signaling that he could not hear himself through the in-ear monitors. He attempted to communicate the issue to the musicians and the festival organizers via his microphone, indicating that the audio feed was not aligning with his on-stage feedback. The scene underscored the intense pressure on performers at Sanremo, where precision and timing are critical amid a tightly choreographed program.
What followed was a display that diverted attention from the music. Blanco paused singing and began to break the visual rhythm of the performance by pulling at the red roses that decorated parts of the set. A fall on stage added to the studio audience’s surprise, and the moment quickly became a talking point for attendees and viewers watching from home. The incident reflected the fragility of live performances, where small technical glitches can cascade into highly visible on-stage moments.
The audience reacted with a chorus of boos when the performance ended, signaling a common festival tension between artistic expression and audience expectations. Amadeus, the host guiding the premiere, entered the scene in a bid to understand the source of Blanco’s frustration and to maintain the evening’s momentum. Blanco later explained that his intention was to have fun despite the glitch, but his remarks did not quell the crowd’s reaction. The moment sparked broader discussions about stagecraft, crowd management, and the emotional investment audiences bring to a high-profile event like Sanremo.
In the days following the serata, media coverage emphasized both the technical challenges common to televised live music and the human element of performance under pressure. Commentators highlighted the importance of robust in-ear monitoring, reliable stage communication, and contingency planning to minimize disruptions. Fans and analysts debated whether the artist’s response was a personal outburst or a broader reflection of the adrenaline-fueled environment of a top-tier festival. The Sanremo organizers acknowledged the complexity of coordinating multiple performances within a limited timeframe, and officials reaffirmed their commitment to improving audio consistency and stage safety in future editions. The episode served as a reminder that even well-rehearsed shows can hinge on the smooth functioning of small but vital technical details, and that audience memory of a festival is shaped not only by the music but by how the moment is handled on stage and by the people guiding the event behind the curtain.