Patti Smith to headline concert at Rome's Circo Massimo

Patti Smith will perform at Rome’s Circo Massimo on 27 July 2026, a highlights of the summer season of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. The show, described as intimate and stripped of visual effects, will feature Smith backed by Tony Shanahan (keyboards), Jackson Smith (guitar) and Seb Rochford (drums). Her set will include signature tracks such as “Horses,” “Because the Night,” “People Have the Power,” and other favorites from her four‑decade career.

The concert coincides with the exhibition “Robert Mapplethorpe. Le forme della bellezza” at the Ara Pacis, for which ticket holders receive a reduced‑price entry. In a press interview Smith said she has loved Italy “since I was seven.” The second article lists a possible setlist of twenty‑plus songs and notes that a similar show was given in Stockholm on 22 July 2026, indicating that the Rome program may vary slightly.