People Have the Power: A Celebration of Patti Smith at Carnegie Hall

A murderer's row of special guests paid honor and tribute to the Godmother of punk and poetry, the one and only Patti Smith, at the world's greatest venue, Carnegie Hall.

There are a multitude of reasons why I believe New York City is and will forever be the greatest city in the world. One of those reasons is the access to some of the best live music on the planet and the plethora of opportunities to see truly unbelievable performances. As an unofficial capital of the world, special things tend to happen here. For example, the "Music of" series that has taken place for the past twenty years which brings together all-star tributes to celebrate legendary artists. Now, I've seen my fair share of rather iconic and incredible performances over the years, but few, if any, can compare to this performance. This year the career of the icon Patti Smith was celebrated and once again, an incredible selection of performers came together to pay tribute in a way that seemed to defy all expectations. Even if I had booked the show myself, I'm not sure I could've come up with a better line-up to sing the songs and read the poems of this legend. To start things off, the night's house band featured none other than Flea on bass (and occassionally trumpet) as well as Tony Shanahan (long-time Patti collaborator), Benmont Tench (of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Steve Jordan (currently drumming for the Rolling Stones), and Charlie Sexton (of Bob Dylan's band) and they kicked things off by having Matt Berninger (lead singer of The National) open with Smith's debut single "Piss Factory" which he tore into with absolute vigor and determination. Immediately, the tone for the night was set and it was clear just how special it would be to hear these songs, in this venue, by these gifted talents. What would come next would be a revolving door of names that would be worth the price of admission on their own let alone together. Courtney Barnett covering "Redondo Beach," Sharon Van Etten covering "Pissing in a River," Angel Olsen covering "Easter," and that doesn't even begin to tackle it. Michael Shannon, Sean Penn, Scarlett Johannson, and Jim Jarmusch all read poems and Jarmusch while Kim Gordon did a dead pan reading before launching into an intense and abrasive noise jam with Body/Head in what was clearly the most intense and riveting portion of the night. I'm not sure I ever would've expected to hear a noise collage inside Carnegie Hall, but it ranks up there with Iggy Pop tearing off his shirt as he joined New Order to cover Joy Division in the esteemed venue as one of the most radical moments I've seen in such a historic setting. Of course the list goes on as Alison Mosshart, Paul Banks of Interpol, Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles, Maggie Rogers, Kronos Quartet, Ben Harper, and Michael Stipe all made appearances as well. In an unannounced surprise, Mosshart returned with Johnny Depp (of all people) to cover "Dancing Barefoot" and yet even after all that, nothing would top what would close out the night. A legend herself, Karen O gave us a spellbinding rendition of Smith's best known cover "Gloria" and it got people up and out of their seats for the first time all night and to watch her and Flea rock out together is something I won't soon forget. Perhaps not a well known fact, but Patti Smith famously was brought forth by Jimmy Iovine to help write the lyrics to a song by one of his up and coming artists he had signed. That turned out to be the Boss, Bruce Springsteen, and as he took to the stage, it felt like the roof was going to blow off the building and as he sunk his teeth into "Because the Night," the room nearly exploded. Ripping through the massive hit, Flea once again locked into the groove and to see him and Springsteen together was another once in a lifetime like feeling. For it to happen at Carnegie Hall only added to the magic. Patti graced us with her presence at the end of the night and treated us to a number on her own before she summoned everyone back on stage to deliver what might've been the most life-affirming performance of "People Have the Power" that I'll ever be lucky enough to witness. Looking across the stage and seeing some of the best musicians of the times join together all in celebration of one of the most gifted artists of the last fifty years was monumental and one that will leave me feeling empowered beyond my wildest dreams.

Set list:

01 "Piss Factory" - Matt Berninger
02 "Free Money" - Jesse Malin
03 "Redondo Beach" - Courtney Barnett
04 "Pissing in a River" - Sharon Van Etten
05 "Cowboy Truths" - Michael Shannon
06 "Elegie" - Kronos Quartet
07 "My Blakean Year" - Michael Stipe, Jesse Paris Smith, Tony Shanahan and Andy LeMaster
08 "The Hour of Noon" - Jim Jarmusch
09 "A Songwriter's Song" - Jim Jarmusch
10 "Departure" (Arthur Rimbaud cover) - Jim Jarmusch
11 "Ghost Dance" - Ben Harper
12 "Ask the Angels" - Alison Mosshart
13 "Kimberly" - Susanna Hoffs
14 "Mother Rose" - Paul Banks and Julie Banks
15 "Wind" - Body/Head
16 "Final Letter to Mapplethorpe" - Scarlett Johansson
17 "Reflecting Robert" - Scarlett Johansson
18 "Paths That Cross" - Music Will Academy - Lower Manhattan Public Middle School
19 "Easter" - Angel Olsen

20 "The Golden Cockerel" - Sean Penn
21 "Beneath the Southern Cross" - Glen Hansard
22 "Frederick" - Maggie Rogers
23 "Dancing Barefoot" - Johnny Depp and Allison Mosshart
24 "Gloria" (Them cover) - Karen O
25 "Because the Night" - Bruce Springsteen
26 "Peaceable Kingdom / People Have the Power" - Patti Smith
27 "People Have the Power" - All