Patti Smith @ The State 8/6

Patti Smith is old school punk rock royalty, having made a name for herself at the infamously gritty CBGBs nightclub decades ago, and was tapped to be one of the final performers when that legendary spot closed for good last year. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this past March by none other than Zack De La Rocha.

Having a limited amount of familiarity with Smith's music was not an issue on this particular tour, as she recently released and album of cover songs that everyone is familar with. Still, I had no idea what was on that album, so that made for a fun night of "OMG, she's playing ??"

Patti Smith is a fantastic performer. I have seen few rock stars of her caliber that interact with the audience in such an easygoing, fun way. Perhaps it is because of all those times playing at CBGBs that she has no problem being shouted at from the crowd. This crowd though, I can only imagine, was far from what you would have found at CBGBs. The State Theatre was in an attentive hush when we came in midway through Bob Dylan's "Changing of the Gaurds", and she seemed to welcome some heckling (and/or life) from the mostly middleaged and older fans. At one point, when the band was tuning up and getting ready for the next song, and when Patti couldn't stall anymore with talk of her shoe size, one woman in the audience asked "Do you wanna rock and roll?"

"Do I wanna rock and roll??" she responded defensively, "You're the one watching me like you're in a fucking movie theatre!" With that, she left the stage, and I thought she was pissed. I don't think she was mad tho, because a moment later, Ms. Smith came strolling down the center aisle from the Theatre entrance, casually walking right past me and inviting her guests to get up and act like we were in fact at a fucking rock and roll show. I think that was the end of sitting down for the night. From then on, everyone was on their feet, acting like rock and roll fans and not moviegoers. (Btw, when we were outside the theatre, an old frined of Brianna's told her we had just missed Patti Smith waltzing in the front door of the place like everybody else.)



After a difficult to follow rant about a giant rat on the streets of Minneapolis last time she was here, and a story about how she drank a bunch of wine with her friend when she was real young and hearing the song for the first time, she did Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit". Also played were The Doors' "Soul Kitchen", The Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider", Neil Young's "Helpless" and The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter".


There was a Tribute(?) to Jerry Garcia, wherein she declared it to be "Jerry Week" because he was born 8/1 and died 8/9, and was always too stoned to know what day of the week it was, so he deserves a little leeway in the form of a nine day week. Apparently he gave her a guitar lesson once, suggesting "Get yourself a man who plays guitar and don't worry about it." No thanks to Jerry, she can and did play guitar on maybe half the songs, and rocked out with an electric guitar on her intense finale, "Rock and Roll Nigger"


My favorite part of the show was when Patti, surrounded by seven or eight other people on stage, covered Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", super slowed down and prominently featuring a banjo player they picked up off the street sometime that very day. That song, and numerous others, also were boosted by guest performers Dave Pirner and Dan Murphy of Soul Asylum, and Tony Glover, harmonica player extraordinaire and cohort of Dave Snaker Ray and Spider John Koerner.

The only Patti Smith orginals she did were "People have the Power", which I know only from Brianna's blog, and "Because the Night", which has got to be here most popular song. I know Bri was a bit disapponted with all the covers, but it was an excellent primer for me on Patti's style and infectious optimism about the ability of people to get together, love one another, communicate, and fucking start a revolution already.







The number that brought the house down:
Also Patti's Mom's favorite song:

Baby was a black sheep. Baby was a whore.
Baby got big and baby get bigger.
Baby get something. Baby get more.
Baby, baby, baby was a rock-and-roll nigger.
Oh, look around you, all around you,
riding on a copper wave.
Do you like the world around you?
Are you ready to behave?

Outside of society, they're waitin' for me.
Outside of society, that's where I want to be.

Baby was a black sheep. Baby was a whore.
You know she got big. Well, she's gonna get bigger.
Baby got a hand; got a finger on the trigger.
Baby, baby, baby is a rock-and-roll nigger.

Outside of society, that's where I want to be.
Outside of society, they're waitin' for me.

(those who have suffered, understand suffering,
and thereby extend their hand
the storm that brings harm
also makes fertile
blessed is the grass
and herb and the true thorn and light)

I was lost in a valley of pleasure.
I was lost in the infinite sea.
I was lost, and measure for measure,
love spewed from the heart of me.
I was lost, and the cost,
and the cost didn't matter to me.
I was lost, and the cost
was to be outside society.

Jimi Hendrix was a nigger.
Jesus Christ and Grandma, too.
Jackson Pollock was a nigger.
Nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger,
nigger, nigger, nigger.

Outside of society, they're waitin' for me.
Outside of society, if you're looking,
that's where you'll find me.
Outside of society, they're waitin' for me.
Outside of society.