Patti Smith is known as the “Godmother of Punk”, and just three days prior to her 67th birthday it was not hard to understand why. Patti is the first woman of her age group that I saw ‘clam up’ and spit on the stage while warbling. Fortunately she sang ‘Dancing Barefoot’ with her 4 member band as the shows opener, so she could not step in the tiny puddle in bare feet. Patti also dropped the ‘F bomb’ so many times tonight I glanced around to see if a table was set up collecting donations for a cure for Tourettes Syndrome, rifling my pockets on instinct to see if they held a few spare singles.

That is not to say that Patti is not a paradox, as she is quite charming in her own unique way. The 19 song set (20 including Happy Birthday for guitarist Lenny Kaye) pleased the sold to near capacity The Space at Westbury immensely. Songs from 2012’s Banga were served in hearty amounts, as were cloud pleasing classics. The audience approved of ‘April Fool’, ‘Fuji-San’, ‘Banga’, ‘Pissing A River’, and the Springsteen-penned ‘Because The Night’. The Russian group Pussy Riot was celebrated in ‘People Have The Power’.

Three cover songs proved to be crowd pleasers. A tribute to John Lennon came in Patti’s rendition of Double Fantasy’s lullaby-like “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy). Such sweetness offered not long after Patty opined that “the world is so f*cked”, couldn’t help but bring a chuckle. Guitarist Lenny Kaye offered up a fine rocking cover of the Billy Idol staple ‘White Wedding’. The recently departed Lou Reed was remembered in ‘Perfect Day’.

When an audience member called out to offer his company after the show, Smith did not miss a beat. She retorted, “Honey, do you really think you’ll be seeing me in an hour? I’ve got movie stars I ignore.” She informed us that she was drinking ‘hot water with fresh ginger and lemon’, so she must be a hoot when she actually has imbibed at a show. On a scale of enjoyment, the banter lost out only by a fraction to the songs that rocked the crowd.

Patti has been enshrined in the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame since 2007. On February 7th, 2013, she received the Kathryn Hepburn Medal from Bryn Mawr College. As exemplified tonight, she has no plans of stopping her remarkable contributions to the arts anytime soon. If you want to see a legend in top form, check to see if she plays in a city near you on this tour.

The Space at Westbury is a fine new venue, with plentiful parking, and a staff and security team who make you feel safe and welcome. There is a standing room on the floor before the stage, and a balcony of seats situated behind for those who prefer to be off of their feet for a show. There is not a bad seat in the house, and the standing room is not oppressively over-crowded.

– Bob Wilson

Check out most of the performance here, courtesy of Zimbablade:

Patti Smith Website Link

The Space at Westbury Website Link

Setlist
Dancing Barefoot
April Fool
Cash
Mosaic
Capital Letter
(new song)
Fuji-san
Distant Fingers
This Is the Girl
Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
(John Lennon cover)
Beneath the Southern Cross
White Wedding
(Billy Idol cover) (sung by Lenny)
Happy Birthday Lenny
Pissing in a River
Because the Night
Banga
People Have the Power

Encore:
Perfect Day
(Lou Reed cover)
Babelogue
Rock ‘n’ Roll Nigger