21 October, 1998 - Milan, Italy - Binario Zero

with Mike Johnson

review by Guido

I am on the freeway driving to Milano for this long awaited show, although it's not exactly the perfect night to travel: a severe flu+high fewer is killing me, my friend Marco had surgery earlier in the morning, Marghe was into a car crash the day before... we all look like shit, but present!. The show is way sold out, I hear accents from all over the country (cool!), and I wonder if those american guys sleeping in the double decker bus parked in front of the Binario Zero club realize all this: after all, the last time Mark was here was 1993...
Around 10:30 p.m. Mike Johnson walks into the stage for the awaited acoustic set, his "usual" red shirt on+cig. puffing. He must have had pizza for dinner, since he wrote the song list... on a pizza shaped cardboard box!. 8 songs scheduled, he introduces himself with "... this is called Separation" and the music begins. He chooses to play 3 songs from his 1994 debut LP "Where am I", 2 from "Year of Mondays", as he presents 3 brand new and unknown songs - since "Ifeelalright" hasn't reached italian stores yet: at first I didn't recognize the cover version of The Saints "Minor aversion" - a real treat!. There's an intimate, melanchonic and doom mood through the show - like a sort of Nick Drake of the 90's: he seems kinda "tired" and plays slow - his voice is even on lower tones than on CD. His fans tribute him warm applauses+salutes at the end, after an excellent version of "Overland sung by all the front row. What else to say... too bad he didn't play "Hold the reins" or "One liner" - ....I had no replies but the look in your eyes... Set list: Separation, Where am I?, Turn around, A minor aversion, I don't love you, Save today, Left in the dark, Overland. Thanks Mike, hope you'll miss italian pizza...
Time for the big show to start. All the bets/gamblings about what the hell they're gonna play first get settled with the timeless "Ugly Sunday". Vivid excitement through the whole club, I'd deadly love to sing together with all the others but am completely hoarse, I can only clap hands. Mark stands in center as usual, holding the mike still, in his trademark position, and despite the new haircut he scores, well... it shows that he came a looooong way through these years. The line-up includes the "famous" Ben Shepherd on bass, Mike J. (obviously) on lead guitar, Marc Olsen on second guitar, and Mark Boquist on drums. Beeing honest any tiny possible technical imperfections or eventual out of key chord of this brand new ensemble is immediately put behind... these guys know how to rock and besides, as a longtime devoted superfan I am totally drowned into the magic of the voice and songs of Mr. Mark. After "Pendulum" the crowd yells loud "House a home!!!!", but they'd to wait until the encores for hearing it. The atmosphere and the singing too gets better and better the more the show goes on, and even Mark, after a deep applauses following an intense version of "The river rise" looks down to the shouting people and sincerely goes "Oh.....I am rrrreally shocked!!!". That will be the only phrase pronunced through the whole night in between songs, besides a polite "Goodnight", but he must have smelled the true warmth downstairs. That's why, after the second part of the show, he walks on stage for the third time carry a special present in the encores: an intense and unpredictable version of "Sworn and broken", so we all almost begin to cry like nerdy teenagers. The concert of the year without any doubt, difficult to choose the peaks of the show: perhaps "Stay"and "The winding sheet", I still have goose flesh thinking about it... Well this is the set list: ugly sunday, pendulum, the river rise, last one in the world, hotel, bell black ocean, stay, mockinbirds, the winding sheet, hospital roll call, because of this, house a home, sworn and broken. Dont know why but driving back I felt like healed, I had a "different" temperature... thanks Mark, take care of yourself.

review by Michele

So it's 10:30 pm when Mark Lanegan finally comes out on the stage of the Binario Zero on a cold October night in Milano, Italy. Preceded by a short acoustic set by M.Johnson, Mark starts quietly with four pieces from the first two albums, his voice does not come out loud from the begininng. But it's with the fifth piece, the first one from "Scraps" that the atmosphere starts to warm up. Not that the public was unfamiliar with the repertorie: almost everyone is there specifically for him, even if the first impression could lead to some other judgement. It is after half an hour that his voice reaches the right volume and temperature; we are in the middle of the set, all the musicians have already smoked a couple of cigarettes, and Mark is surrounded by his familiar cloud of smoke, backlighted by a purple spotlight. "Hotel", "Bell Black Ocean", "Last one in the world", "Stay" and a great "Because Of This". A brief pause, and the band is back with "Hospital roll call". "16"... the second part is 100% good and in gear: four songs, very powerful, full and solid sound and voice. Another pause and a couple more of songs. It's 12 pm and the show is about to end: tomorrow is a working day, but this Wednesday has been longer than usual. Thank you, Mark, see you in another few years.