Teatro Smeraldo, Milan

by Alfonso Augelli

April 11th 1996

After I saw Bruce in this solo-tour at the opening show in Farankfurt, I promised myself to see him again.

I already knew that it was going to be hard to get tickets for other shows. So I called my cousin Biagio, who lives in Bologna. He told me that he was going to be there when the tickets will go on sale.He waited in font of the box-office almost twelwe hours before the tickets went on sale. But finally he get two tickets, one also for me. Enough of these stories, let's talk about the show.

Smeraldo the theater where Bruce played has a capacity of not more than 2000 people. It looks more like a movie-theater and the chairs are small and unconfortable. But we all know that Bruce can bring the right atmosphere wherever he plays.

It good was a good show. I mean not as good like the first show in Frankfurt.Or the one here in Zurich by the end of this tour (thanks again! Philipp & Co.). But I really liked this show.

A few minutes after nine, Bruce enters the stage. The first part of the show was almost the same as in Frankfurt. He played a beautiful version of "Mansion on the Hill" instead of "Nebraska" and "If I Should Fall Behind" in addition. Bruce seemed to really like the audience. He talked a couple of times in italian. He remembered the show at the San Siro stadium in 1985. I really like the story he tells before "It's the Little Things That Count". Or the powerful versions of "Born in the USA" or "Spare Parts". But "Across the Borded" with the voice solo at the end of the song is wonderful. Before Bruce came back for the first encore, everybody ran in front of the stage. Bruce came back and played "Bobby Jean" followed by a powerful "This Hard Land", and "Streets of Philly". For the second encore after "Galveston Bay" he played a new acoustic version of "The Promised Land". With Bruce doing echo with his voice on the microphone.

After the show thanked everybody and shaked hands in front of the stage. Giorgio Armani the stylist with a few italian vip where also in the audience. The only thing I didn't liked that much was that during the show you never really had a quite atmosphere. Everybody were always screaming Bruce also during the songs.

I kept my promise, I saw him again. And almost a month later I kept that promise again, in Zurich.