Because the Night Belonged to SV Fans
Greetings from the very beginning of 2006,
So, two friends and I went to the annual Patti Smith (PS) New Year's eve concert (dunno how many years running but it was the first one my friends and I attended). En route to the show, I kept thinking about how much I wanted to see SV instead. I had looked up her earlier that morning on Wikipedia.com and missed seeing her perform live (the last time was April 04). I was happy to read that she may come out with an album (at last!) in late 2006. This year can't go fast enough!!
I have seen PS two other times before, all last year (i.e., 2005). Both times were incredible. She possesses this passion and raw energy I hope to have if I ever become a musician. It's almost as though she's in a trance while performing, and her hypnotic state is contagious to the audience.
My experience at this concert was quite different, however. Part of the reason may have been the higher price, and thus the "higher (socioeconomic) class" crowd. Lamentably, most of them seemed to be neither members nor followers of the PS "cult".
Also, because it was New Year's Eve, the concert was interrupted by a brief countdown and celebration of the 2006 (complete with recommendations for resoultions), initiated by PS and her band. This, to me, took some steam out of the show's momentum.
Lastly, PS's setlist seemed somewhat "off", in that the songs did not flow organically into one another. Also, I don't think she took one request, which surprised me, especially considering how haphazard the setlist seemed.
There were some amazing moments, however. In particular, the songs: "Dancing Barefoot," "Ain't it Strange," and "Because the Night." However, one of the most amazing moments was when my friend tapped me and said, "Look up, I think I see SV!"
I looked up to the balcony to see a woman who appeared remarkably similar to SV. We stared at her and after a few moments, in the midst of an uninspiring cover PS was performing, a few other concertgoers (maybe even members of the PS cult!) began to follow suit, albeit briefly.
When the concert ended, the mysterious woman got up and screamed out across the room, "Gretchen!" The tone of her voice made it us less credulous that this was SV. But I'll always wish it was
Sean
P.S. Was it?