Walking past the long box office queue outside Manchester’s Academy, one woman is shouting, “I LOVE Patti – Hurry up, will ya!?” The touts are out in force, because this is one hot gig and on-the-door sales are moving fast. There’s a curious energy in the air – that of enigma and history, indescribable yet palpable. Edging my way to the front side of stage, all gazes are on the glowing ear-to-ear smile and twinkling eyes of the one and only Patti Smith, who looks like she wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else on the planet. We suddenly find ourselves in the Patti Smith living room, leaving our cares at the door. We have a 2-hour set before us, no support, just pure Patti and her phenomenal band.
1ST HALF
Anyone who’s seen Patti Smith before has the sensation in all her gigs of stepping back in time – what a voice… what poetry of lyrics and passion… what honest politics… what a living legend. And what humility she exhibits today – dancing around to her band’s rhythms, serenely smiling, decked in jeans, flowing locks, signature jacket and waistcoat, she makes a point of wishing Chrissie Hynde a happy birthday. She owns the stage – not because she demands it so, but because she belongs.
The crowds consist of young women and middle-aged men, and in the spaces in between tracks, they hang on to her every word, hoping for a gem. One woman finally breaches the silence with “You are my angel!” and there’s a cheer every time Patti utters a word – even her low-key “hi” generates a woop. “It’s very quiet… spooky…” She goes on to talk about ghosts.
She plays some new tracks, including Fuji-san written for the people of Japan following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake – Patti having a strong spiritual connection with Japan.
Poignantly, she talks about Amy Winehouse’s upcoming 14 September birthday and how the day coincides with the birthday of her late husband Fred “Sonic” Smith. She then introduces her song This Is The Girl dedicated to the memory of Winehouse.
This is the girl for whom all tears fall
This is the girl who was having a ball
Just a dark smear masking the eyes
Spirited away buried in sighs.
This is the girl who crossed the line
This is the song of the smothering vine
Twisted as laurel to crown her head
Laid as a wreath upon her bed
This is the girl.
This is the blood that turned into wine
This is the wine of the house it is said
This is the girl who yearned to be heard
So much for cradling a smothering bird
This is the girl. This is the girl.
She praises Manchester for its great musicians and songs: “It’s always a pleasure to be back…” and leads into the amazing Ghost Dance.
Patti’s politics start to warm up as she observes that the crowd will return to a “semi-reality” after the show is over: “Reality is OVER!” she proclaims as she enters the interval.
INTERVAL
While longterm collaborator Lenny Kaye leads the musical interlude, Patti makes her way off stage, down to the photo pit and proceeds to shake hands with the fans, even offering long-stemmed roses to individuals. As I look up from my notepad, Patti’s hand appears outstretched. I grab it and look up. This is a moment in time. As I’m holding her hand, I get shoved from behind by some rather too eager men and the moment has passed. (Our website launch was the very next morning, and if ever we needed a blessing, then Patti Smith’s will do very nicely, thank you very much.)
2ND HALF
Without further ado, she’s back on stage and grabs her guitar like they’ve been apart for far too long. She tells a story of how she had wandered up and down the Curry Mile in Manchester, likening it to wandering streets in the 50s and sad that she “didn’t get any action.”
In response to bleating noises from the crowds, she delightedly responds, “Well, well… what a room of black sheep here!” and proceeds to sing Baa Baa Black Sheep to/with the audience. There’s something very moving about listening to Patti Smith sing a nursery rhyme to a room full of adults.
She sings the heart wrenching Pissing in A River with such passion and venom.
Should I pursue a path so twisted?
Should I crawl defeated and gifted?
Should I go the length of a river?
The royal, the throne, the cry me a river
In between tracks, she gets chatty again – “You can always count on me to be just yapping away!” as she imagines herself on her very own reality TV show.
She dedicates Because The Night to her late husband Fred as she talks lovingly about how in 1976 they first met at a hot dog stand and she decided then and there that he was the guy she would marry. As the crowds sing along, I notice a little girl sitting on someone’s shoulders, perfectly mouthing the words and you have the sense of Patti’s spell stretching across generations.
Classic Gloria closes the incredible set, getting the crowds bouncing in a frenzy. Symbolically, at the end of the track, she spells out the words “PUSSY RIOT” instead of “GLORIA” and she’s off the stage…
ENCORE
With Patti and the band back on stage, a guy shouts out: “Patti! I want your babies, man!” She leaps into Banga with the crowds joining in with the dog howling noises – yes, howling noises.
At the end of People Have The Power she shouts to the crowds: “Don’t forget it – USE-YOUR-VOICE! … People: YOU are the future! YOU will decide what happens in this world! … Look what they are doing! … Motherfuckers of the world! … There are 3 girls in prison – should these girls be in prison?? … YOU are the future – and the future is NOW!”
She starts Rock N Roll Nigger with her back to the crowds who are clapping wildly as the intro kicks in. It’s hard to imagine a more iconic song about being a social outcast. Patti doesn’t hold back adapting the lyrics: “Jesus Christ was a nigger – Pussy Riot, my mother too… we’re all fucking niggers! Outside of society!” She goes on to question the previous day’s ruling about a young British solider shot down by US friendly fire in 2009: “What the fuck is friendly fire?? THIS (holds up her guitar) is the weapon of my generation and THIS weapon is fucking friendly fire!” then she riffs big-time. As the band closes up the track, her final advice to the crowds is: “Be clean, work hard, be healthy, be happy, be free!”
She then manually snaps all but one of her guitar strings. “I’m done, man! Manchester, you people wore me the fuck out – and that ain’t easy! You might think this is messed up because I’m already finished up – but I don’t want to leave!” She finally brings herself to snap the last string: “This goes to YOU, Manchester!” and waves goodbye…
Her knock-out performance puts into perspective the comparatively lackluster performances of most modern-day musicians – I mean, why bother doing it, if you don’t want to do it like THIS? And why not speak your mind while you’re at it?