She released a new book in January and last night was one of her last dates touring the book with just herself and a pianist/guitarist/helped her with her guitar strap to put her guitar on. She read to us from her book. Stories about her mother. A great story about the first time she met Allen Ginsberg around the corner from the Chelsea Hotel! And a very, very touching tale about how she handled her grief of the death of her friend Robert Mapelthorpe. She is such a wonderful word-smith. The entire room was transfixed on the way she delivered the prose. A steady pace, with emphasis on only the words that desereved it- words that picked and sat up and were sharp. Really good.
The seating was unallocated. I could hazard a guess of about 200 seats? Intimate. They were little blue-velvet upholstered chairs lined up like pews. The main body of chairs front and centre still had some single seats, but I took a seat next to the aisle to the side of the room. I was still within 8m of the stage.
I went to go to the loo before it started and noticed that there was an unmanned spiral staircase next to the toilets. This lead to a galley. The sound from up there was amazing- just of the audience chatting before Patti was on. There were 6 chairs up there with some older people sitting up close to the glass wall of the balcony. I asked one couple who were comparing aps on their iphones if they had found the chairs there when they came up: they had. I then asked one of the staff if I could take a chair up there since there was heaps of space. A security man was consulted and promptly informed me it's reserved for special guests only. Sadface. I waited 10 min then dragged my bag back up the stairs and assumed a position to the side of the galley where I was content to watch from a standing position. This is what is looked like from up the balcony:
As I said in my rant on essay writing in the library, where I had come from and would return to after the concert, I was all in black clothes. At one point a security man came up to check wrist bands of the unknown VIPs on the chairs, but he didn't ask me. I think I managed to escape persecution because I looked like I was in Oran Mor uniform. Mwahaha! I tried to hide from the peers of people below who'd realised there was a balcony with a much better view above their heads. Inconspicuous, Jacqui. But just before the show was to start the security man who'd said no to the chair came up and told me to gather my things and get out. He said I'd already ignored him once and I was to get down stairs straight away. I tried the old- Oh, no, I thought you said no to the chair. I'm just going to stand. No one will know- only these 6 people here and they won't even see me, I'm like a shadow. Pleeeease??!! No luck. Tried. I got to take up my original seat though with the aisle leg room because I'd left my jacket on the seat.
She did a great version of Birdland. My favourite I think. I saw her do this at Hamer Hall in Melbourne last year and it was even better last night. In such a small space it was a lot more intense. A song I haven't heard written for her son as a baby which was so tender and sweet. Towards the end Patti asked if anyone had any questions they wanted to ask. There were some dozies about her favourite cheese (?) and the influence of Robbie Burns (bloody Scots are obsessed!). A girl asked Patti if she'd do an acoustic version of Rock n Roll Nigga. Patti was very hesitant; she'd never done it acoustic before. But apparently it's only EAB so the guitarist knocked it out on the strings and everyone stood up and launched into a brilliant and really energetic Rock n Roll Nigga!
Patti Smith is such a wonderful performer and artist. In such an impressive venue this will be a gig I will remember for a very long time.
Should've thrown the security guard off of the balcony.
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