Renaissance Seattle Hotel, 10 November 2005

[Andrew F Wilson <andrewfwilson>]

With The Lights Out
Patti Smith at Rockrgrl
by Laura Cassidy

The thrill of seeing Patti Smith on Thursday, Nov. 10 - the 30th
anniversary of her debut album, Horses - in a relatively small and
exclusive setting was offset just slightly by the fact that the
setting was an overlit basement ballroom of the Renaissance Seattle
Hotel. Also slightly offsetting the thrill was Johnette Napolitano -
seated onstage with Rockrgrl's Carla DeSantis, Smith producer Sandy
Pearlman, guitarist Lenny Kaye, and journalist Ann Powers - clapping
inappropriately and making devil horns during Smith's acceptance of
the magazine's Woman of Valour award. But only just slightly.

In the speeches that preceded Smith's acceptance of Rockrgrl's
lifetime achievement award, Powers, Pearlman, and Kaye spoke to the
power of Smith's sexy sexlessness (one woman in the audience yelled
out, "Patti's a slut," and everyone cringed) and her adroit, organic
observations and calls to action. (Napolitano didn't say much - except
that she'd be brief since others were abusing their speaking
privileges!) Taking the mike, Smith apologized for being inarticulate
and worn out from her cross-country trip, explaining that while she
doesn't typically take part in these kinds of things, she surprised
her lawyer (through whom Rockrgrl made the request) by accepting the
invitation because she was touched that her career was being
recognized and wanted to be there in person to accept. The woman who
sang in "Rock N Roll Nigger" that "outside of society/That's where I
want to be" has come a long way, and she seemed truly gratified by the
experience of being honored in that badly lit basement.

Moving stage left with Kaye where they both grabbed acoustic guitars,
Smith said they would perform as they did for the first time in the
Village 35 years ago. "We didn't plan nothing," she said, smiling as
she began picking out the notes for "My Blakean Year" from 2004's
Trampin'. Kaye followed and it seemed, for a while, that he was
watching Smith's fingers for cues - she did write "Blakean Year" by
herself. But I realized in the next song, "Redondo Beach," which Kaye
co-wrote with her for Horses - and which Kaye played alone while Smith
just sang - that he was simply tuned into the middle of her, where the
music is likely stored.

Pausing between songs, Smith mentioned stopping by EMP, where she
"said hello" to the mixing board from Electric Lady Studios on which
Horses was recorded, and noted that the clams she'd had for lunch down
on the waterfront would have "been run out of town in South Jersey."

Smith and Kaye played "Crossover," "Free Money," and "Gandhi" before
ending with "Wings" from her 1996 return, Gone Again. Throughout the
set, her voice wound velvet ribbons and seamlessly spoke sharp,
percussive poetry. The pair's effortless dynamic and instructive songs
said what her acceptance speech didn't about the needlessness of
gender roles, the necessity of consistency, and the innate existence
of equality - when and if you're open to it.

http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0546/051116_music_lightsout.php
lcassidy