Rockin' 1000 in Cesena 2025: 18,000 at the first concert
Cesena, July 27, 2025 – Rock in the rain . Or rather, after the rain, the one that delayed Saturday evening. d In a couple of hours, but not cancelled, the start of the first of the two concerts ( the other is scheduled for today ) of Rockin'1000 organized at the Orogel Stadium Dino Manuzzi on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the now iconic project born with the intent of convincing the Foo Fighters to come and play in Cesena and then – after having achieved the objective – blazed out, conquering a global dimension.
The numbers speak for themselves, with musicians from 38 countries representing all generations, from the very young seven-year-old to the veteran 78. The two-day event was held in the city where it all began and where Fabio Zaffagnini , who 10 years ago conceived the seemingly impossible, is at home. The concert began at 9:00 PM in front of a large audience that had come to Romagna from all over Italy to enjoy the show. At 9:00 PM, however, the star of the show wasn't the music, but the rain falling heavily on the tarps covering the mega band's instruments, already meticulously placed on the stadium lawn. Rain and anticipation, with recorded music blasting from the speakers and the audience warily waiting. The wait lasted until 9:25 PM, when the announcer shouted into the microphone that the concert would not be canceled . A roar erupted from the stands , which in the meantime, as the rain subsided, were bucking the trend, filling up at an ever-increasing pace. Until the wave to the tune of 'The final countdown' , with the insiders starting to put their hands on the cover-ups.
And so here is the magic of music , which, even in the terrible weather that had threatened to ruin everything all afternoon, was able to draw nearly 18,000 people to the Orogel Stadium, eager to enjoy a show that promised to be thrilling, but required a great deal of patience. Indeed, at 10 pm, Zaffagnini took the microphone to say that there was still time to wait, that they wanted to go ahead with the concert, but that scrupulous work was needed to ensure the safety of 1,000 positions after hours of rain . Thus we arrived at 10:30 pm, with the musicians' entrance, the lights going out, the smoke, the choreography. The 'oath' of the musicians who promised to give their all. And the concert, in which Diodato , Piero Pelù and Negrita participated as special guests.
A show of a thousand people for the nearly 18,000 people around . Until past midnight, to try to make up for at least some of the lost time. And to make sure we see each other again. Today, to continue celebrating our first double-digit birthday. Ten years are unforgettable. But above all, they're not enough. With the hope that we're still just getting started.
“ On July 26th, 10 years ago ,” Zaffagnini said before the now iconic version of 'Learn to Fly' that closed the show, “we were recording the video for that song. Back then, my heart was exploding with joy and gratitude : we had planted a seed of brotherhood and inclusion . Of something I didn't know how to define yet. In fact, it's not that I was thinking about it, we just did it. Now that I'm here and I look at these thousand musicians, I feel a physical sensation, the right one. And I wonder why it can't be like this all over the world, in Gaza, in Ukraine, in Sudan, in Myanmar. Thinking about it breaks my heart . I know, world peace… what a stupid thing, as if I were the queen of a beauty pageant… But peace also starts from a seed, and all plants work the same way. If you water them, they grow, otherwise they die. So let 's choose carefully which plants to water . Away with rock 'n' roll, away with it. Rockin'1000”.
İl Resto Del Carlino
