It may have been Zucchero’s third concert in Malta last Saturday but neither Italy’s best-selling artiste nor his audience seems to have tired of his performances.

The 55-year-old Italian singer, whose career spans three decades and more than one generation, energetically took to the open-air stage at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre in Ta’ Qali as part of Chocabeck World Tour 2011.

In his trademark gritty and textured voice, he belted out songs from his latest album by the same name and also a number of timeless hits that are still as popular and arousing as they were when released years back.

Zucchero and his 13-piece live band thrilled the audience and seemed equally pleased to be back, returning on stage with an encore that included an extra, unplanned song.

He completed his concert, organised by Stand Out Events, with his international hit, Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime, and one of his greatest, chart-topping tracks, Senza una donna, both sang in English, as well as a tribute to his friend, the late tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, with Miserere.

The concert was a mixture of his soft and sensitive songs and the more upbeat and boisterous tracks, all performed with emotion, getting the audience to sit in silence, or stand up and dance, depending on the mood he aptly conveyed.