Patti Smith
Basilica San Vittore, Milan, Italy
19th December 2007
When Patti Smith was in Milan last summer, on a devastating intense full-band tour featuring songs by the Ramones and Jimi Hendrix, she said at a certain point, "Milan, pray with me".She came back tonight, a few days before Christmas, for an acoustic show (featuring Tony Shanhan on guitar, keyboards and vocals and the Italian classic cello player, Giovanni Sollima) in a beautiful XVI century church for what was probably the greatest musical night of my entire life, some 30 years after I first saw Patti Smith.It may have been because I was sitting only a metre and a half from her, and the "wave" of her charisma was getting to me in a way almost impossible to sustain (for once my damn job was useful) or because of the beautiful setting we were in, but she was truly transcendent.
She came back to pray with us as she said last time; Elvis' 'Blue Xmas’ and the old traditional ‘Oh Holy Night’ were so tender and full of spirituality that I probably cried. Neil Young's 'Helpless’ was dedicated to Fred Sonic Smith and even ‘Because The Night’ was totally appropriate.On the setlist given to me before the show, there were Dylan's 'Dark Eyes' and 'Changing of the Guards'. She didn’t perform either, but it was fine – we had better moments. I will never forget her voice, loud and "sonic" when she was singing "Oh God I fell for you" while staring at the beautiful roof of the church over her at the end of a magnificent ‘Dancing Barefoot’.She also included some poetry here and there, including the touching ‘Three Windows’ for Jean Paul II written while she was in St Peter's square the night that the Pope died.She said how happy she was about the fact that Italy and New Jersey were the first States to approve the UN moratorium against death penalty, and for a night I thought that it’s good to be from New Jersey!
Leaving the church I noticed some kids burning candles to some Saint's statue, and I couldn’t help but think about how a young Patti used to burn candles to the Youth Saint Protector statue in St Patrick’s in New York City - she came to inspire like no other living artist is able to do these days, she came to pray with us and this will forever remain a very special Christmas for me.
Setlist:
Poem
Wing
Ghost Dance
Grateful
Helpless
poem - Three windows for JPII
O Holy Night
Southerncross
In My Blaken Year
poem - michelangelo
Perfect day
Wander I go
Peaceble Kingdom
Poem for R. Mapplethorpe
Because the Night
People have the Power
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Blue Christmas
Dancing barefoot
Paolo Vites is a journalist with leading Italian music magazine Jam.
by Paolo Vites
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