Why This Gig?

Because it’s Patti Smith. Everyone should see her once and I’ve never seen her live before. I’ve never been a massive fan, but I know a few songs and like what I’ve heard.

Support

There wasn’t one.

Headline

If you know Patti Smith’s music then you’ll know what to expect. She hasn’t really changed in the almost forty years that she has been recording music and the songs from last years album Banga sit very comfortably with the older material. That said, from where I stood, a lot of it sounded a little pedestrian. It was only towards the end of the set, when she brought out all of her big songs (“Dancing Barefoot”, “Pissing in a River”, “Because the Night”, “Land” and “Gloria”), that the evening really took off for me.

She’s indisputably good at what she does. And her audience clearly love her for it. But I wasn’t really in the mood for nearly two hours of her brand of rock. I’m certainly glad I’ve seen here, but I won’t be rushing back.

Here’s the setlist from Setlist.fm.

Reviews

• Telegraph (from the previous night to the one I saw)

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