Siena keeps surprising me. The city of the Palio is going to host what seems to be the only free Patti Smith concert during her 2012 tour in Europe. The poetess of rock has already had gigs in Arezzo and Viareggio this July and August. That's quite an amount of Patti Smith concerts for one Tuscan summer. The reason for the abundance may be that the American singer/songwriter is supposed to own a house in Southern Tuscany's Maremma. Good on her! And lucky for us.
Patti Smith will play songs from her new album Banga, one of them dedicated to the premature death of Amy Winehouse (see video above). She will be accompanied by her stellar band: Lenny Kaye (guitar/voice), Jay Dee Daugherty (percussion) Tony Shanahan (bass, piano and voice) and Jack Petruzzelli (guitar).
PATTI SMITH, SIENA PIAZZA DEL CAMPO, Friday 31st of August 2012.
Concert starts at 9.30pm.
Concert starts at 9.30pm.
The concert is the final event of the 12th edition of the city's Città Aromatica Festival. The first three nights will take place on Siena's piazza San Francesco. On the 28th of August the festival is opened with the concert of the Italian band Teatro degli Orrori and the evening of Wednesday, 29th is dedicated to the performance of Compagnia Francesca Selva, an Italian dance company, which earned itself highest acclaim at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival. On Thursday night (30th of August) Piazza San Francesco will see two indigenous rock bands on stage: Black Rain Theory and Blues Machines.
Concerts on Piazza San Francesco start at 9.15pm.
With Siena Parcheggi being main sponsor together with the crisis shaken Monte dei Paschi bank, not just events and concerts but also parking in town will be free during festival nights. Keep'em coming Siena!
Not in town for Patti Smith's concert on piazza del Campo? The poetess of rock will be touring the US and Canada in November and December 2012 together with Neil Young and the Crazy Horse. Dates on her website, which also hosts some videos of her talking about the songs on the new album.