Summer 2026 with PFM: the warmth of the South and a new challenge on bass

The 2026 summer tour with P.F.M.has come to an end, and just a few days after the last show I feel the need to stop for a moment and look back.

It was an intense summer, made of miles on the road, open-air stages and nights I will carry with me for a long time. In Sicily, Apulia, Campania, Calabria and Lazio, passing through Liguria, Umbria and the Aosta Valley, we found an extraordinary audience: warm, engaged, able to turn every concert into a moment of genuine sharing. Seeing different generations sing together songs that made the history of Italian music is something that still moves me every time.

For me, the stage remains the place where everything makes sense. It is where pent-up energy is released, where the fatigue of travelling disappears and where music becomes what it has always been: a way of being together. Every time the lights go down at the end of a tour I realise how much I need that dimension, almost an outlet that is hard to live without.

This summer also had a special meaning. Patrick Djivas, recovering from shoulder surgery, could not be with us on stage, and I was asked to replace him on bass. I accepted with a great sense of responsibility and with the utmost respect for a musician who has written fundamental pages in the history of this band and of progressive rock… not to mention that he has always been my favourite bassist of all time! (You can imagine how nervous I was about such a responsibility!)

Playing bass, an instrument I am not often seen with on stage, was a fascinating challenge. It made me listen to the music from a different perspective and brought me even closer to Patrick’s work, his writing and his unique way of supporting the PFM sound. It was a way of feeling him present at every concert.

My warmest embrace goes to Patrick, with wishes for a speedy recovery: we look forward to seeing him back on stage soon, not only as a musician but also as a friend.

Thanks to Franz, to the whole band, which by now is a family to me, to the crew and to each of you who came to listen to us. See you next time!