"All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered."

Suzanne Vega in Milan

Yesterday, we went to see Suzanne Vega, one of the greatest artists and musicians of all times whom occupies a special place in my heart next to Tori Amos. It was a packed house at Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi here in Milan, with people belonging to her original fan club from the 90s.

Next to us, a young man was with an elderly gentleman and kept translating him what she was saying in English between one song and the other. It was so beautiful and sweet.

On stage, she had 64-years-old Irish guitarist Gerry Leonard, with a David Bowie red streak in his ehite hair,and they performed extraordinarily, together with cellist Stephanie Winters. They played both oldies and songs from her new album “Flying with Angels”: Solitude Standing, Tom’s Diner, Marlene on the Wall, Liverpool as an encore, and Luka as the last one just before, The Witch from her new album because it was requested by her fans in Milan.

What an awesome evening.

Luka brought tears to my eyes. It’s a song about domestic abuse, the apathy and shame they inflict on people who are experiencing it, up to the point of “not arguing anymore” and not wanting any meddling, any help. It’s from 1987, just a little younger than me, and nothing changed.

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