Ireland’s Dolores O’Riordan and her Cranberries
bewitched Rome fans on Halloween night (glowing pumpkins and witch’s gowns were
naturally the call of the evening). The
band, which was formed in Limerick in 1989, put on a very entertaining show in
the “Sala Cecilia” hall of Rome’s Auditorium, a splendid venue which was
designed by Italy’s most famous living architect, Renzo Piano. This correspondent saw Dolores and her band
open up for the Rolling Stones in 2003 in Milan’s San Siro stadium. O’Riordan was spunky then, she was again in
Rome nine years later.
In the
1990s the group was one of the most successful rock acts and sold over 15
million albums in the United States alone. The Cranberries recorded their sixth
album, “Roses”, in May 2011, and released it on 27 February 2012.
For the
all sold-out Rome concert the diminutive
O’Riordan sang some 25 songs, including everyone’s favorite Cranberries song,
the haunting “Zombie”. Dolores was backed-up
by her excellent five-member band.
