Pistoia Blues 2019

Great blues, rock and pop concerts will bring to life the beautiful Tuscan town

From 05 July 2019 to 10 July 2019

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From July 5th to 10th the usually calm town of Pistoia will be taken over by the wave of music of the 40th edition of Pistoia Blues! Thanks to the energy and passion of Blues In, which has been behind the organisation of the festival for decades, and the contribution of Live Nation, Pistoia Blues 2019 boasts a truly exceptional line-up. There will be names of the likes of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Thirty seconds to Mars, Black stone cherry, Robber Ford and Ben Harper in Pistoia! 

The structure and line-up of the Pistoia Blues Festival 2019 follows the ‘return to the origins’ which began with last year’s edition. This year’s concerts will again be staged within a few days and no longer spread across the month of July. They will all be held between July 5th and 10th, from Friday to the following Wednesday. In short, if you want to enjoy more than just one of the concerts at Pistoia Blues 2019, it will make planning easier. This will give you the chance to fully experience the beautiful atmosphere of this music festival for a few days. An atmosphere that is not confined to Piazza del Duomo, conquering instead all the streets of the historic center with its events. Some examples? Concerts and performances by local artists and the highly anticipated and colorful market of Pistoia Blues, adding a touch of color to this beautiful event. Last tip for those who like to play music as well as listening to it: from June 28th to 30th there will also be the Pistoia Blues Clinics during which leading figures of Italian and American blues will stand up for a real full immersion in music. What do you think, dear bluesmen? Fancy a trip to Pistoia? Take a look at the Pistoia Blues 2019 line up and the artists who will take turns on the stage, and then get organized by booking one of our hotels in Pistoia... can’t get any easier than that!

PROGRAM PISTOIA BLUES FESTIVAL 2019

• July 5th - Piazza del Duomo – Main stage 21.00 (free entry)
  Black Stone Cherry - Ana Popovic - Eric Bibb & Staffan Astner
  This evening will be a real blues party: free entry and lots of events to bring the whole city to life. The Black Stone Cherry in Pistoia will be among the artists that will ‘break the ice’ of the Pistoia Blues Festival. This group is from Kentucky, and after being formed in high school, they released their first album in 2006. The southern US rock band, very popular in Italy, is on tour after the success of their latest album called 'Family Tree’. That same evening, Pistoia welcomes Ana Popovic who, in addition to her solo career, has played with artists of the likes of B.B. King, Gary Clark, Buddy Guy and Joe Bonamassa. It is often said that blues flow in her veins, so she’s the perfect one to warm up Piazza del Duomo. And the night of July 5th will get even hotter with Eric Bibb & Staffan Astner: Eric is considered one of the greatest living performers of acoustic blues and appear on the stage of Pistoia with the Swedish guitarist Astner.
  
  

• July 6th- Piazza del Duomo – Main stage 21.30
  Thirty Seconds to Mars
  Thirty Seconds to Mars in Italy will perform four highly anticipated concerts following the release of their latest work, the album 'America'. The US group is currently formed by the Leto brothers: Jared (vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, keyboard) and Shannon (drums, percussion) although in the past various musicians have been members of the group. They have five albums and have sold over 15 million records worldwide. Their style is hardly attributable to a precise genre since they have always included elements of progressive rock, screamo, space rock and electronic rock. Thirty Seconds to Mars in Pistoia is one of the unmissable highlights of this year's festival.
  
  

• July 7th - Piazza del Duomo – Main stage 21.30
  Robben Ford, Eric Gales
  Sunday evening will be dedicated to Robben Ford, a musician who learned to play guitar as a kid and who proceeded to dedicate his life to music, collaborating with musicians such as Charles Musselwhite, Jimmy Whiterspoon, Joni Mitchell and Miles Davis. In 1992 he discovered the blues genre, and formed the group ‘Blue Line’. But the evening doesn’t end here: the line up of Pistoia Blues 2019 features another big name: the great Memphis guitarist Eric Gales, surrounded by the success of his latest album 'The Bookends', the result of interesting collaborations with artists of different genres.
  
  

• July 8th - Piazza del Duomo – Main stage 21.30
  Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
  The Noel Gallagher Pistoia concert is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated events of the Festival, even if, like every year, lovers of traditional pure blues will turn their noses a little up. In fact, the former Oasis musician is actually nicknamed the ‘King of Britpop’, but it’s also true that music has no boundaries! Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds are back on tour with various dates in Italy, following the release of their third album 'Who built the moon' and will bring on stage a selection of songs written and published by Noel over the last thirty years, all with a band of 11 elements!
  
  

• July 10th - Piazza del Duomo – Main stage 21.30
  Concert Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
  The festival will end on a high with Ben Harper's concert in Italy, an artist who will perform with his historic band The Innocent Criminals and who has already walked the stage in Piazza del Duomo in various editions. Harper is considered one of the most incisive authors and performers, able of transcending musical genres and to talk about social, political and personal themes. Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals are real worldwide stars that will close the rich Pistoia Blues Festival 2019 program with a fantastic concert.

What else is there to say... the menu of artists of Pistoia Blues 2019 is as rich, varied and promising as ever. So waste no time and get organized. First buy the tickets, which you can find full information on at the event website (pistoiablues.com). Since Pistoia is just a few kilometers from Florence and is easily reachable by train, we strongly recommend spending a few hours there. If you do not want to waste time with guides and maps... our tours in Florence are perfect to explore the wonderful cradle of the Renaissance!