Cartoon Week at Hard Rock

Cristina D’Avena

With Halloween on the horizon, many look forward to the moment when Lucca becomes the entertainment capital for comics, animation, TV series and videogame lovers thanks to its iconic festival beginning on October 31.

Beforehand, expect a week of entertainment for video game enthusiasts: from October 22 – 26, Florence’s Hard Rock Cafe will host a series of entertaining events in honor of the Lucca Comics & Games.

The program begins on Monday, October 22 (8:30 pm), with a performance by the Tokyo Apartments. The duo from Lucca are known for their unusual mixture of unpublished songs and covers of electronic music classics and soundtracks from cartoons and video games.

On Tuesday, October 23 (8:30 pm), the director of the Lucca Comics & Games Contest DJ-V will play a set merging the world of pop and comics. Author, musician, and producer, DJ-V’s 15 years of experience and high-profile musical collaborations have resulted in such career accomplishments as a popular Italian interpretation of the official theme from the 2018 Japanese film Mirai.

On Wednesday, October 24 (9:30 pm), Pietro Ubaldi, Group 80 and the Monsters of Carletto Cartoon Cover Band will play together in a show. In Italian, Ubaldi’s voice has given life to such well-known characters as Uan and Four, Spongebobs Patrick Star and Captain Barbarossa from Pirates of the Caribbean. He will reprise his role as the animator of Uan and Four, along with the musical accompaniment of Group 80 and the Monsters of Carletto Cover Band playing songs from cartoons.

On Thursday, October 25 the Alvin Stars will be on stage with an energetic concert entitled “Alvin in Nederland,” encompassing rock, rap, anime and reflections on the digital age.

The Cafe’s festivities will conclude on Friday, October 26 with special guest Cristina D’Avena at 10 pm. Her career has included theme songs for animated TV series, platinum record, best-selling albums and even two children’s books which she wrote and narrated. (leigh van ryn)