LOCATION: Hotel Kennedy, Milan
Tonight's Show: Milan (Forum)
Setlist: Go, Last Exit, Save You, World Wide Suicide, Corduroy, Severed Hand, Unemployable, Even Flow, I am Mine, Man of the Hour, MFC, Daughter/Another Brick in the Wall, pt.2, Faithful, Comatose, State of Love and Trust, Why Go
1st Encore: Picture in a Frame (Tom Waits), Parachutes, Black, Crazy Mary, Given to Fly, Alive
2nd Encore: Do the Evolution, Big Wave, Leash, Rockin' In the Free World, Yellow Ledbetter
There have been a handful of times during the planning stages of this trip and during the trip itself that I have second-guessed my decision and have asked myself, 'What am I doing? Am I really following a band around Europe? One or two shows, ok, but 8?' It didn't help that although some people thought it was really fun and cool, others thought I was psychotic.
Then I see a show like tonight and nothing else matters, and I realize that I will never again question my logic in taking on this journey.
Like the first two shows in Italy, tonight began anything but ideal. I had made plans with Joao from Portugal to meet on the 10c line so he could give me my ticket. Because of the weather in Verona, it took us a lot longer to get into Milan this afternoon. Warren and Patrick headed over to their hotel, while I went to mine and we made plans to meet at the venue. I wanted to get there with enough anticipation so as not to miss Joao.
By the time I got to my hotel, ate and settled in, it was well into the afternoon and I began to get ready to take the train to the venue. When the front desk told me I had to get on two different subway lines and a bus to get to the Forum, I began to get nervous about timing. I had tried reaching Joao on his cellphone but couldn't get through and had no idea what time 10c holders were going in. I knew I risked missing him if I tried taking the subway without really knowing where I was going, so I decided to go with Warren and Patrick in a cab because it'd be cheaper than taking it alone. After repeated attempts to contact the guys, who were nowhere to be found, I ran to their hotel in hopes of catching them before they left. Between trying to contact Joao and the guys and running across Milan with dripping wet hair, I was frantic that not only would I miss the show, but I'd also leave Joao stranded with an extra ticket.
After no luck finding the guys, I jumped in a cab and pleaded with the driver to get me there as quickly as he could. By the time I reached the venue, I saw everyone heading in the doors and I knew that Joao had long gone in. I was ticket-less. I frantically searched for Warren and Patrick in hopes that they had gotten there before me, found Joao and got me my ticket ( I had told Warren he'd have a Portuguese flag with him). When I finally found them, they told me they had just gotten there. At this point, I had no option but to buy from one of the scalpers and ended up paying more than I had to. At least I had a ticket in.
By the time I got inside, I was really upset that I had stranded Joao and I started losing it! I hadn't slept in days, I was exhausted, I nearly missed the show and I screwed this poor guy from Portugal! The guys were really comforting. Patrick gave me a hug so perfect and warm, it almost fixed everything ;) I knew, though, that the only way I'd feel better was if I found Joao.
I walked up to the front, assuming he'd be there, took out the picture he had sent me and began looking for him. I glanced around and there he was-sitting down on the floor in the front row with his beloved flag resting on his lap. I apologized profusely and explained what happened. I was relieved to hear that he was able to sell his ticket. He was so cute, he gave me his extra wristband (...thank you). I then met lovely Monica, also from Lisbon, who was in the front as well. We had chatted via email, and I was really happy to meet her. Now it was time to enjoy the show.
We found a perfect spot on the barrier behind the camera (the Italy shows are being filmed for a dvd, rumor has it) and I was able to get on the rail. It may sound crazy, but before they came on, there was a distinctive buzz going around. I don't know if it was me just hoping for an amazing show because it was a near-miss or if it was the fact that the show we thought would be IT really wasn't, but we really felt we were in for something special.
The Milan crowd was unlike any I've ever heard in person or on a bootleg and Warren and Patrick agreed. I didn't think I'd witness an audience that extraordinarily passionate after Buenos Aires, but Milan managed to prove me wrong.
The show opened with Go and from the start, the audience drowned Ed out. During the end of Daughter, the audience started in on the 'eh-oh-eh' even before Ed did and they loved the tag, in which Ed replaced one of the lyrics with, 'President Bush leaves those kids alone'....they REALLY loved that!
When Man of the Hour came on, it confirmed that everything was aligned tonight for a special evening. It was well-known that Decides2Dream really wanted to hear this song in Milan. September 17th is her father's birthday, who was born in Italy and has passed away. She had started a thread on the message boards, asking everyone to hope it gets played that night. Although we hoped for her, too, we also knew the chances wouldn't be that great. When the first notes began, Warren and I looked at each other in awe. We were nowhere near her, but our thoughts were with her the entire time. It was a really emotional and moving moment, even if we couldn't relate to what she was feeling.
My favorite part of the show was the first encore. Ed came out alone, and as he sat on his chair, a spotlight shone down on him and he took out his Italian sheet. He told the audience that he dedicated the next song to the love of his life, the mother of his daughter whom he met in Milan. He then sang Tom Waits' Picture in a Frame ("I love you baby, and I always will....ever since I put your picture in a frame.") Because he has always been so private about his personal life, it was so cool to see him open up like that on a stage in front of thousands. Fittingly, Parachutes followed and then came Black.
If this set was my favorite part of the show, Black was THE highlight. This song is always amazing- everyone loves Black. It won't really matter what I write about it in Milan, because you just had to be there. I had no desire to take pictures or get a clip of it, not only because I knew a recorded version would never truly do the moment justice, but also because I just needed to stand there and really see it. The crowd completely drowned out Ed, and like other audiences, they sang the guitar part at the end. But unlike the others, they kept going and going even after the band had stopped playing their instruments, so all you could hear was a rhythmic clapping and thousands of people singing 'do-roo-roo-roo-do-roo-roo' (how do you even write that !?!??) The guys just stood on stage and watched in amazement; almost everyone around us was crying, both from the sight and the overwhelming sensation of hearing these voices in unison, without musical instruments to back them up. I looked over at Warren and he was just blown away - I thought I'd never see him not complain! At the end of the We Belong Together tag, Ed sang/mumbled something that was completely inaudible, so I'll have to wait for the bootleg to hear it again.
Crazy Mary followed Black, and it's been one of the best versions I've ever heard, with the crowd again reacting in ways I can't really articulate. He passed his wine around the front and I hope Joao and Monica got a sip! After that, he addressed the audience again and made a reference to Italy winning the 2006 World Cup. He said the next song was for them, and on came Given to Fly.
I won't lie...I wanted the 2nd encore to just keep going, but when Rockin' in the Free World came on, I knew that was it. It didn't really matter because I couldn't ask for more than what they gave, and I couldn't want more than what the audience gave back. I keep hearing Lisbon 2 was as amazing as this one, but I wasn't there, so this one will take my #1 spot so far.
If you're a Pearl Jam fan, get this bootleg and you'll know exactly what I mean when I say Milan was indescribable. If you're not a fan, go out and get this anyway and you will become one. I dare you not to.
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