Al Bano is a pioneering force in the world of modern Italian music and one of the most recognisable Italian voices in the world. With a gorgeous lyrical tenor voice that combines pop and classical styles, he is still going strong at 82 years of age, with a stop in Australia the latest in his Una Vita in Canto tour. 

From the first notes sung by the singer as he walked onto the stage at the Darling Harbour Theatre in Sydney, it was immediately obvious that Al Bano’s voice was as strong as ever before. The warmth of his upper register reverberated through the walls of the theatre as the beautiful acoustics meant that the audience could enjoy all of the richness of the singer’s voice. 

Even early on in the set, Al Bano showed off his humour both in English and in Italian as he jokingly chastised latecomers, much to the amusement of the audience. 

“I start one more time, it’s ok,” he said to a latecomer. “Would you like some tea, wine or water?”

Beginning with the gorgeous ballad “Tu Per Sempre”, Al Bano performed with power and heart, capturing the audience from the very first moments of the show. It was mesmerising just how strong his voice was, with not a hint of weariness even on the most challenging songs. 

The singer also proved to be an extremely gracious performer, frequently engaging with the audience, including an especially poignant moment with an Argentinian fan, who spent 2-3 minutes holding the Italian legend’s hand, which he gracefully accepted and another when he brought a young child up onto the stage. There was not a hint of ego and it made the concert all the more engaging. 

The diversity of music tackled by Al Bano was also striking. For many, Al Bano was the voice of the San Remo Music Festival, alongside Romina Power but he was introduced to a new generation as a coach on The Voice Italy in the late 2010s (indeed, my first introduction to Al Bano’s music was listening to his commentary on The Voice on RAI Italia as I tried to master Italian for my HSC studies). To this effect, he brought out some music for the multigenerational crowd in attendance through his daughter Jasmine, who performed some electronic pop music with Al Bano which was received well by the audience. 

There was a (perhaps overly lengthy) interlude as Jasmine and later, Al Bano’s son, Yari performed but when Al Bano returned he performed all the classics that the audience had been waiting for. His rendition of “Caruso” was mesmerising and had the audience gasping in their seats. It was truly beautiful. The singer closed the night with a rousing rendition of “Felicità” which had the audience out of their seats and dancing in a fantastic end to a joyous night of music. 

It is clear how much this concert meant to the members of the Italo-Australian community in attendance. There was so much joy and love in the room from the crowd and this was reciprocated by Al Bano. Who knows if we will see him return to Australia but for the audience, this will be a night they will remember for a long time. 

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Al Bano – Darling Harbour Theatre – 24^th October 2025