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Sinéad O’Connor - Live in Italy, Collegno July 3rd 1997 

 It’s always a delicate choice for Sinéad to sing in Italy, a country which for its Catholic culture and for the proximity of the Pope himself still seems to carry some bad feelings towards She Who Dared Put It All Up For Discussion. Sinéad had last performed in this country on May 1, 1997, in front of about 500.000 people in Rome- just beside the wolf’s lair. She just sang two songs then, accompanied by her fantastic All-Irish-Lassies choir. Even though she complained about the bad technical conditions and the apparently weak reception by the public, they all still managed to offer a moving performance. Newspapers just couldn’t seem to help bigotly remarking her "scandalous curses on live tv", yet reviews were quite good, and appreciative of the simplicity and humanity she offered on such a "big-time" occasion.

She came back for three dates in the beginning of July, then ended up cancelling her Roman date: officially because of the insufficient power of the sound system, yet apparently following complaints about the disrespectful state of dressing rooms - which sounds hard to believe, yet has been suggested by more than a backstage source.

 Her first date was in Collegno, near the city of Torino, in the North-East of Italy. Two days later she performed in Correggio, near Bologna. Both dates followed the usual songlist of her tour, yet the experience she offered was quite different.

 The last time I’d seen her was many years ago, during the tour which was portrayed on "The Year of the Horse". Her performance had been shocking, thrilling, breath-taking. She had dared much more than on the dates that ended up on video, and had taken ten thousand people on a terrific journey.

 This time, when she got on stage in Collegno, she looked like another person. Her voice sounded much, much better - extraordinarily open and crystal clear. If one had closed his/her eyes and just listened to her sing, he/she’d have found the same old Sinéad, without her old uncertainties - her voice was like the purest of instruments. She seemed to take the same risks as ever in her singing, yet this time never failed. The shock was to look at her - the passionate animal-like performer we all had gotten to love in the past years looked tamed somehow, frightened at times, mostly detached. For those of us who love her and know about what she’s gone through, it was perfectly understandable, and all of us, the "hotter" fans in the first rows, got all the more supportive and affectionate, welcoming her back as lovingly as possible. Yet it seemed clear that the people who were seeing her for the first time then, could never know HOW great she is. She certainly did give a vocally extraordinary performance, but her interpretation had nothing to do with that breath-taking emotional roller-coaster we all know she is capable to drive us on. The arrangements, particularly the striking vocal harmonies, were simply wonderful. But she seemed to slide even over her best lyrics. Many might not have had the same perception, but one could suggest she looked as if she was trying to protect herself in a way, as if she were conscious it’s not good for her to good THAT deep. This was not the same singer who chilled our spines, years ago, simply with a guitar, a spotlight, the most religious silence around her, and one of her best songs, "Troy". Infact, she didn’t sing a single song from her first album. When she got to her most intense songs, like "Fire On Babylon", the contrast between the perfection and expressivity in her voice and the detachment in her body was particlularly evident. In the end, people were grateful and happy, even though clearly disappointed by the shortness of her set. Sinéad looked satisfied and glad at the audience’ warm reception.

 Matteo Vegetti

Milan, 13 July 1997