Patti Smith
May. 7th, 2013 08:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kevins_concertsPatti is a must-see. We drove down into Chicago on a weeknight. The show was at The Vic, just off of Belmont. The Vic is an old theater, not quite as ornate as many from that era. The main floor was standing room, on three levels. I was a little surprised to hear Patti was on tour, since her latest album was released a year ago. There was, of course, a majority of older people, but there was a wide variety of ages and style.
Her band included Lenny (guitar, bass), Jay Dee (drums), Tony (bass, keyboards, guitar) and Jack Petrocelli (guitar, bass).
The show started slow, with "Kimberly" and "April Fool". The tempo picked up gradually, to "Free Money". The next song, "Fuji San," started low and ominous, in low light, and then picked up the pace. "This is the Girl" and "We Three" are also low-key songs. She got the Chicago dogs in the audience to bark and howl during "Banga". "Beneath the Southern Cross" was one of my favorites of the night. Trancelike. Was that the one that Jack was tearing it up, at the end? Lenny led a garage rock medley of The Blues Magoos, the Strangeloves, The Heartbreakers and The Seeds. That's always fun. They closed out the main set with "Land" and "Gloria". They got partway into "La Mer" (of "Land")... I was really getting into the groove, when they broke into "Gloria." That threw me off. The two songs have a similar amount of energy, but it's a totally different groove. Let's just say "Land" is side-to-side, and "Gloria" is up and down.
They came back from the break with "People Have the Power". That's one of her clean, up-tempo uplifting songs. Then they closed the show with "Babelogue/Rock N Roll Nigger", which is rough and rocking. An interesting combination, but they were both great.
Patti was her usual self. She was really happy to be there. She loves Chicago. She was annoyed with the audience, at time. She "slit her wrists" and sent the blood out to a particular audient who was screaming. Patti said that with her blood she would be healed of her gratuitous screaming. Late in the show, some guy upstairs yelled out something about "... motorcycle... for the love of God!" Strange request. Patti said she had no idea what that meant. And then said, "but if it's for the love of God, I'll do it." She attracts some weirdos, I guess. Someone asked her what's her most favorite song. She said "Stay" by Rihanna. Laughter from the audience. She felt she had to prove it, and recited the lyrics. In her theatrical style. All along it was a fever/A cold sweat hot-headed believer/I threw my hands in the air I said show me something/He said, if you dare come a little closer. She did some more of it after that next song.
Kimberly
April Fool
Redondo Beach
Free Money
Fuji-san
Banga
This Is the Girl
Ghost Dance
Beneath the Southern Cross
Night Time/(We Ain't Got) Nothing Yet/Born to Lose/Pushin' Too Hard
We Three
Because the Night
Pissing in a River
Land
Gloria
Encore:
People Have the Power
Babelogue/Rock N Roll Nigger
Seems like it could have been a little longer, lasting about an hour forty-five, but it was a great show nonetheless.
Her band included Lenny (guitar, bass), Jay Dee (drums), Tony (bass, keyboards, guitar) and Jack Petrocelli (guitar, bass).
The show started slow, with "Kimberly" and "April Fool". The tempo picked up gradually, to "Free Money". The next song, "Fuji San," started low and ominous, in low light, and then picked up the pace. "This is the Girl" and "We Three" are also low-key songs. She got the Chicago dogs in the audience to bark and howl during "Banga". "Beneath the Southern Cross" was one of my favorites of the night. Trancelike. Was that the one that Jack was tearing it up, at the end? Lenny led a garage rock medley of The Blues Magoos, the Strangeloves, The Heartbreakers and The Seeds. That's always fun. They closed out the main set with "Land" and "Gloria". They got partway into "La Mer" (of "Land")... I was really getting into the groove, when they broke into "Gloria." That threw me off. The two songs have a similar amount of energy, but it's a totally different groove. Let's just say "Land" is side-to-side, and "Gloria" is up and down.
They came back from the break with "People Have the Power". That's one of her clean, up-tempo uplifting songs. Then they closed the show with "Babelogue/Rock N Roll Nigger", which is rough and rocking. An interesting combination, but they were both great.
Patti was her usual self. She was really happy to be there. She loves Chicago. She was annoyed with the audience, at time. She "slit her wrists" and sent the blood out to a particular audient who was screaming. Patti said that with her blood she would be healed of her gratuitous screaming. Late in the show, some guy upstairs yelled out something about "... motorcycle... for the love of God!" Strange request. Patti said she had no idea what that meant. And then said, "but if it's for the love of God, I'll do it." She attracts some weirdos, I guess. Someone asked her what's her most favorite song. She said "Stay" by Rihanna. Laughter from the audience. She felt she had to prove it, and recited the lyrics. In her theatrical style. All along it was a fever/A cold sweat hot-headed believer/I threw my hands in the air I said show me something/He said, if you dare come a little closer. She did some more of it after that next song.
Kimberly
April Fool
Redondo Beach
Free Money
Fuji-san
Banga
This Is the Girl
Ghost Dance
Beneath the Southern Cross
Night Time/(We Ain't Got) Nothing Yet/Born to Lose/Pushin' Too Hard
We Three
Because the Night
Pissing in a River
Land
Gloria
Encore:
People Have the Power
Babelogue/Rock N Roll Nigger
Seems like it could have been a little longer, lasting about an hour forty-five, but it was a great show nonetheless.