Patti Smith 8/16/2023 Seattle, Washington

Advocating for Planet Earth, Social Action, and drawing inspiration and strength from our spiritual ancestors, Patti Smith returned to Seattle, delivering a powerful, memorable, and fun show during a sun splashed late afternoon/early evening set at Woodland Park Zoo.  Returning to our city for the first time since her show was cancelled on March 10, 2020 at the onset of the COVID shutdown, she, her band, and a mixed-ages crowd were all in a celebratory and communal mood.

Zoo shows are a nice contrast to the clubs and theaters.  The walk to the meadow where the stage is set up is calming and meditative, as the sights and sounds of the city recede, and  a sacred awareness of nature envelops you.  Arriving ten minutes past the gates opening, I was able to score a great spot to plant my low-rider lawn chair, about six rows back, dead-center.  It was near 90, the third straight hotter than normal day here, a cloudless blue sky day with intense sunlight.  I'd smoked a number on my way to the zoo, and properly attired in light summer clothes, with sunscreen applied, and a bottle of water by my side, I kicked my sandals off, and enjoyed a peacefully stoned hour, a respite from the usual hustle and bustle.  A tasty mix of mostly Dub and Roots Reggae with a couple of Dancehall numbers from the house speakers created a perfect soundscape. Just around the announced showtime of 6:00, the sun dropped low enough for the cooling shade of the trees in the surrounding forest glen to offer it's relief, accompanied by the occasional cool breeze, I was feeling downright beatific.

Patti and her group took the stage around 6:20 to a standing ovation.  Most everyone took a seat for the set opening Grateful.  Just my luck, I was behind a younger hipster couple who had to stand, which pretty much blocked my view of Patti, although I could see Lenny, Jackson, and Tony just fine.  There was an awkward pause after Grateful as Patti spoke with a stage tech.  Apparently, she was struggling with her depth perception, and was concerned about the drop off from the stage to the ground in front of it, and was being disoriented by the people standing and dancing at the fence railing in front of it.  Just as she was asking those folks to sit down for a couple of songs while she got adjusted, some slightly inebriated old cuss walked up from behind me and loudly and demonstrably told the clueless hipster duo to take a seat, to which they meekly complied.  Problem solved.

We were treated to a solid mix of her own compositions and a healthy dose of cover songs.  She made reference to many of her spiritual guides along the way, Allen Ginsburg, William Burroughs, William Blake, Tom Verlaine (as she covered Television's Guiding Light).  She took a break, while Lenny Kaye led the band through a lively run through The Golden Road To Unlimited Devotion. I was kind of hoping for a Sonics cover, as Lenny famously put together the Rosetta Stone of Garage Rock anthologies when he compiled the Nuggets collection in 1973.  Lenny cited many of the Grunge era bands, The Melvins, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana, but oddly left out any mention of the 1960s PNW Garage Rock pioneers.

Beneath The Southern Cross was a standout performance in the midst of a spate of covers, with a lengthy jam with a meaty Third Stone From The Sun section where Jackson and Tony stood out on a guitar and bass dual.  Her tribute to Elvis on his birthday was a big crowd sing along, with Patti humorously apologizing to the King for screwing up the lyrics.  She said the band was forcing her to cover the Electric Prunes I Had To Much To Dream Last Night.  It was decently played, but in retrospect, I would have enjoyed hearing more from her own catalog, particularly Frederick, which she omitted.

She did dedicate the ensuing Dancing Barefoot to her departed husband, Fred "Sonic" Smith, and it rocked.  Her first single, Pissing In A River, followed, and the powerful set closing run concluded with a generous Gloria, by which point everyone was on their feet.

For the encore she told us of going to see Neil Young at the Fillmore East in the early 70s and meeting him.  They were both the same age, and she was struck then about his concern for the well-being of our planet Earth.  She pointed out his vision, and how the song is ever more relevant today as she delivered a beautiful and devotional cover of After The Gold Rush, before closing it out with her call for action, People Have The Power, which she dedicated to all of us.

The show over, we were treated with Jimi Hendrix's Freedom over the house sound as we collected our lawn chairs and picnic gear and headed for the turnstiles, to follow the quiet path through the bucolic setting back to the urban wasteland.

Another photo I took at Woodland Park Zoo on August 16th during the People Have The Power show closer.

Patti opened for The National, who were performing their first ever headlining gig at Madison Square Garden last night.  Tomorrow she will perform in Toronto, ironically on The Budweiser Stage.  

Patti Smith 

Madison Square Garden

New York, New York

August 18, 2023    

People Have The Power

Footnote to Howl (Allen Ginsburg's poem)

Waiting Underground

Guiding Light

Because The Night

Nine 

Dancing Barefoot

Beneath The Southern Cross (incorporating Third Stone From The Sun)

Pissing In A River

After The Gold Rush

Gloria