(by Claudia Fascia).
Italian pop star Tiziano Ferro has opened his summer tour with a concert at the Teghil stadium in the north-eastern coastal town of Lignano Sabbiadoro near Udine.
The singer and song-writer performed on Sunday night in front of over 20,000 people ahead of 12 other dates as part of his tour called 'Il Mestiere della Vita" (life's profession), like his latest album.
The tour includes three concerts at the San Siro stadium on Milan (June 16-17 and 19) and two at Rome's Olympic Stadium (June 28 and 30), among others.
A total of over 435,000 tickets have already been sold.
His concert in Lignano Sabbiadoro, where he also performed two years ago, included a water show to "symbolize how things flow".
Ferro sang a total of 29 songs - many from his latest album such as Il Conforto Orfano (orphaned comfort) by singer and song-writer Carmen Consoli, and longtime hits like Perdono (forgiveness) and Sere Nere (dark nights).
The artist has said his most recent music was inspired by his new life in the United States.
His music currently embraces "what I have seen around the world, from Beyoncé to Sia to Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, Culture Club - those who are not afraid to dare made the most significant impact" "It's as if Drake met Tenco", he noted, making a parallel between the contemporary Canadian rapper and the late singer and song-writer Luigi Tenco.
Ferro last February performed a tribute to the Italian icon at the Sanremo Film Festival.
Tenco in 1967 committed suicide at the festival, one of Italy's biggest music events.
And he also paid tribute to the tragic artist in his concert Sunday, when he was visibly moved while performing one of Tenco's most famous songs, Mi Sono Innamorato di Te (I have fallen in love with you).
Ferro's tour is opening the summer concert season in Italy.
The performance in Lignano Sabbiadoro was also the first at a stadium in Italy since the deadly Manchester Arena attack on May 22 at a concert by US singer Ariana Grande.
"At a moment like this, being here has a different meaning, you set an example", Ferro told concertgoers on Sunday, urging them not to stay at home.
"The attacks are not random, they are aimed at insinuating terror".
"Those who fight music, fight freedom", he also said, "adding that "it has happened, it will happen again but this must not stop us".
After he wraps up his summer tour in Florence on July 15, Ferro has announced he will devote the following year to a new album which could debut in 2018.
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