We’re back at the Teatro Ariston for the second night of Sanremo 2022!

Last night, we saw the first performances from the first twelve artists, resulting in an early lead for Mahmood and Blanco with their touching bromance ballad Brividi.

Tonight, it’s the turn of the other thirteen, including 2001 champion and international music icon Elisa, as well as Eurovision alumni Fabrizio Moro, Emma and Iva Zanicchi (the latter two having told the Italian press they wouldn’t compete at their home Eurovision should they win) take to the stage.

Various Sanremo veterans from recent years also perform tonight, as the Big in Gara acts all vie for the approval of the Press Jury, divided between TV, Radio, Print and Online outlets, whose verdict will make up a third of the final vote on Saturday. We will see the first full classification of all 25 songs at the end of the show (or, at least, those who are not in Europe and/or are still awake will).

There will also be guest performances from 2021 competitors Arisa and Malika Ayane, as well as a guest appearance from the hosts of Eurovision 2022 Laura Pausini, Alessandro Cattelan and Mika, Italian actor Checco Zalone and actresses Margarita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace. There will also be a competition to choose an official song for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, and last year’s third place and Eurovision 2018 alumnus Ermal Meta will be performing on Orietta Berti’s Costa Toscana cruise ship!

Wow, that’s a lot to get through! Luckily, tonight, viewers of the ESCBubble blog are in for a treat. You will be in the company of me, Joe B, and a very special guest: Cambridge choral scholar, former Fiorentino*, Sanremo savant and friend of mine of many years Richard Decker. His column he wrote, with a bit of assistance from your’s truly, for the Cambridge Language Collective, about the show’s history and last year’s edition, can be found here and here.

Tonight’s acts are as follows:

1. Sangiovanni – Farfalle
2. Giovanni Truppi – Tuo padre, mia madre, Lucia
3. Le Vibrazioni – Tantissimo
4. Emma – Ogni volta è così
5. Matteo Romano – Virale
6. Iva Zanicchi – Voglio amarti
7. Ditonellapiaga & Rettore – Chimica
8. Elisa – O forse sei tu
9. Fabrizio Moro – Sei tu
10. Tananai – Sesso occasionale
11. Irama – Ovunque sarai
12. AKA 7even – Perfetta così
13. Highsnob & Hu – Abbi cura di te

*as in “resident of Florence”, not a pizza