- Milan (Circolo Magnolia) June 8 2022 - 

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I wake up still full of energy from the night before.

I put on a Fontaines t-shirt to make anyone I meet understand the reason for my trip.

I have just three, one used the night before, one for the trip and the last one in my suitcase for this evening's concert.

I arrive in Milan without a hitch, headed to the hotel and in the meantime I message my new friend I met at the Alcatraz concert who joined me for this new adventure.

Concert anxiety rises again and... nothing has to go.

A quick shower and I set off for the Circolo Magnolia, getting a little lost in Segrate.

At 4.30pm I'm there.

There are already three people and, the miracle of music, we immediately make friends.

How nice to see a mother, I think more or less the same age as me, with her 23 year old daughter and to have this passion in common.

 

I am a member of the international Fontaines DC fan group and, an Irish boy had seen my photos from the day before, wrote to me that he would also be there in Milan, well... Liam showed up, bringing with him none other than Deego's dad! !!

At first we remain skeptical but we can't help but believe him when he shows us photos of him as a child or the day of his graduation where Carlos was also there.

He is extremely helpful and he tells us that he will call his son to take photos with us.

Deego arrives, he seems very shy but easy-going and friendly enough to ask us where to go to eat. There wasn't even a Milanese woman among us!!!!

We take some photos, have a chat then let  dad and son go to eat.

This time the wait is longer and more unnerving, I don't want to be on the right of the stage once again... I want to conquer the centre!!!

We get in line and wait for 7pm.

The rain couldn't be missing and I wasn't ready for this, luckily a guy arrives who sells us some capes.

Soup I manage to conquer the center.

We are all in the same situation, but what does it matter... we are waiting for them even in the storm :D.

We continue to get to know the neighbors, I realize how varied the Fontaines audience is, I spoke with 60-year-old people who found familiar sounds in them and kids who have to graduate this year!!! How beautiful!!!

The starting time was always set for 9.30pm but the boys allowed themselves a few minutes of delay, perhaps satisfied by a decidedly warmer audience than the one in Bologna.

We called them on stage with stadium chants “Fontaines DC Fontaines DC”.

 

HERE THEY ARE!!!

 

Grian has a t-shirt with all writing that looks like advertising and... guess what... Adidas tracksuit with green stripes and... boots. He doesn't go away from this look even though in the afternoon I had glimpsed him wearing a black t-shirt, dark combat trousers and a hat.

Carlos today is wearing a white t-shirt with a black stripe on the neck and one on the sleeves, his trousers and shoes look like the ones from the day before, light gray 60s trousers and moccasins with chain.

Diego is dressed as he came to take photos with us.

Blue polo shirt, blue and white striped shorts, blue lisle socks and the inevitable moccasin.

Curley is wearing a light blue shirt (or jeans, you can't tell), dark 60s trousers and ankle boots.

The coolest... what do I say he is always the one... Tom, Ramones t-shirt, combat trousers and sneakers.

 

They open again with “A Lucid Dream”, I would have hoped for a different set list for this stage.

The writing behind them today seems to have the colors of Italy rather than Ireland, did the orange not work or was it a tribute?

“Hurricane Laughter” and “Sha Sha Sha” usually set off the mosh pit behind us.

We continue in the same way as the day before: “Roman Holiday”, “I Don't Belong”, “Chequeless Reckless”, “Televised Mind”, “Nabokov”, “Big Shot” every now and then Grian gives us some “Thank you”.

At “Too Real” the mosh pit takes a turn for the worse.

A girl gets hurt and the concert is interrupted.

Curley seems to be the one who cares more than anyone else, even more so about safety, so much so that he comes under the stage.

After a few minutes the girl is taken away and Grian and his companions return to the stage saying that she only sprained her ankle and for this inconvenience they will give us an extra song.

Indeed, the concert resumes with “In ár gCroíthe go deo”, I was hoping to hear this opening song from the new album live.

After “How cold love is” the order of the setlist is a little reversed, in fact we listen to “Jackie down the line”, “A Hero's Death”.

Now they should have stopped for the encore but they decide, given the previous forced stop, to continue and give us “Skinty fia”,  “Boys in the Better Land” and “I love you”.

The audience, in disbelief at the end of the concert, cheers them back with stadium chants but there is nothing left to do.

We are about to say goodbye to our new friends when Deego's dad arrives and tells us to wait until the kids go out.

Time a few minutes we come the set list sheets are distributed and Carlos arrives under stage right. At this point I decide to play the jacket card and get that autographed too.

He is very helpful, he talks to one of us about how much he would like to go on holiday in Italy.

I can't believe my eyes when Grian arrives too.

How tall is he!!!

He is also very sociable, my friend tells him how we met and she tells us she is happy to have contributed to this friendship. I have him sign the jacket, the ritual photo and the bracelet.

Grian notices my tattoos and exclaims “I like your tattos”.

I have many things to ask him, first of all why he wanted to cover "Just Like Heaven" for those who don't know, a song by The Cure. I would also like to ask him if it is true that they had a lot of material before recording Skinty Fia and therefore we should expect a new album. I can't say anything more!!!

Deego and Tom arrive and I address the latter with a rigorous "I like your t-shirt". When I saw the Ramones live maybe he wasn't even born :D. I have to admit that he is always the smileiest.

I don't want this moment to ever end but, very happy and definitely satisfied, I go back to the hotel dreaming of maybe seeing them in Dublin soon!!!

Road to Dublin?????