Cristina Donà

"La primavera verrà a prenderti domani sera

put on a dress for the occasion

get ready, the revolution is coming!"

(Cristina Donà)

The Milanese singer invites her audience to sign Amnesty International petitions, present with a stand next to the stage at Bologna's Estragon, alongside Emergency volunteers. "Because I believe in miracles," she adds.

This is an explosive, radiant and energetic Cristina Donà, the one singing "Miracoli" on a crisp Bologna Wednesday evening, March 14, 2012. Her voice is even more impressive live than in the studio: free and professional, never missing a high note, moving with ease between indie-rock roughness, gleaming dream-pop falsettos and raw folk howls.

Always at full throttle for two hours of music, in one song the singer-songwriter, behind her red electric guitar, even confidently shows off some operatic technique.

The setlist is essentially the same one presented at the other stops of the "I Walk Home tour", which showcases the Milanese musician's latest album.

It opens with a cynical, dark rock sound, in songs like "Niente di particolare" and "Giapponese". The echo of the brooding Manuel Agnelli of Afterhours - spiritual brother, as well as producer of the Rho-born singer-songwriter's early albums - is strong.

In the second part of the show the fog clears, and poetic, ironic and melancholic colors emerge.

"These days people film the parts where I talk, and then post videos on YouTube of all the nonsense I say." That's how Donà jokes about it, and indeed there are many monologues that, with a theatrical flair, introduce the songs. For example, sitting on a green armchair, the artist explains that in the song "In un soffio" she wants to talk about "Her, who lives in this drab suburb, waiting for her man, who has left in search of fortune, but who tells her 'Hold on! I'll come back!', while she stays there, in that drab suburb… because that's a bit how I picture her, with the illuminated fairground rides…". Or, she tells how "Giapponese" came to her in front of a supermarket, which is "a multi-emblem of modern life". Or, again, she says that "L'aridità dell'aria" tries to evoke: "that moment when a couple no longer communicates, and the air grows tense".

The most enjoyable aspect of Cristina Donà live, however, remains her palpable humility and the genuine bond of empathy with the audience. "I thank all of you who are here, who paid for the ticket, the parking, or the bus, and who chose to spend your time this way", she bursts out, sparking a heartfelt round of applause from the crowd.

Particularly notable are the delicate, entirely acoustic versions, for piano and voice, of the old hits "Settembre" and "Universo". The latter, after the audience sang along to every chorus, turns into a cover of "Across The Universe" by the Beatles, as had already happened at other live shows. Meanwhile, a fun medley provides the surprise, starting from her own song "Ho sempre me": "Com'è profondo il mare", an obvious tribute to Lucio Dalla, in the city that saw him born and that warmly bid him farewell when he died, slides into "Bad" by U2, and into an unexpected "Heart Of Glass" by Blondie. What's more, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, she sings "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", again by U2, but this time because they're Irish.

Pulling the strings of the show are some leading figures of the Italian music scene: Saverio Lanza, producer and co-writer of all the songs on the album "I Walk Home", drummer Piero Monterisi, also a producer, bassist Emanuele Brignola, and an outstanding Michele Brienza.

The opening act, meanwhile, is "Il club dei vedovi neri", an up-and-coming band that's dark and self-assured, somewhat reminiscent of early Marlene Kuntz, with a singer poised between Fabrizio De André and Francesco Renga, despite wearing a Clash t-shirt.

"And I bid you farewell, wishing you all the strength it takes to face… the game of Triathlon! Thanks again for coming!" That's how Cristina Donà says goodbye to her fans (quite a few, for a Wednesday night at fifteen euros), who seem satisfied, entertained and engaged, standing in that big, dark warehouse-venue that is Bologna's Estragon: meanwhile, amid dim blue and purple lights, the notes of the last song strike up: "Triathlon", fittingly.

Knowing how to put on a wonderful show is an art different from making a good record: Cristina Donà fully confirms this ability, revealing just how much life lies behind her music: music that can be understood, completely, only live.

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