It has been nine long years since Patti Smith last played at Bath Forum, and six years since we witnessed her awesome performance at Glastonbury 2015 when none other, but the Dalai Lama joined her on stage. Finally, after several postponements due to Covid, the high priestess of punk was returning to Bath. This is what happened. My friend Sasha arrived at mine at 6.15, a taxi took us to the station and we caught the 6.29 train to Bath. My sister Margaret and her partner Wayne got on the train at Bradford-On-Avon. It was only 7.00 when we arrived in the fine Georgian city of Bath which gave us ample time to repair to the Lion & Lamb pub for a couple of drinks before the show. (This is the pub where Patti accidentally ate somebody else’s lasagne in 2012, but I won’t go into that story again now) It was a nice October evening, if somewhat chilly.
At 7.45 we made our way to Bath Forum. This venue doesn’t look much from the outside, but the beautifully restored 1930s art-deco interior is a sight to behold. We were right at the front in row A. After a short delay Patti and her band took the stage. Patti looked great in a white cowboy jacket, jeans, and boots. Halfway through the show she had a quick costume change to her more punky garb. I didn’t catch the names of all the band, but Lenny Kaye was certainly there, and Patti’s son Jackson Smith and her song-writing collaborator Tony Shanahan. They were all great anyway.
Patti said it was nice to be back in Bath for her first indoor gig in 19 months. The first song was called Grateful which Patti originally recorded in 2000 as a tribute to Jerry Garcia. The second song, the reggae flavoured upbeat Redondo Beach Patti dedicated to Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry who passed away recently. Patti played guitar for the uplifting My Blakean Year which I really enjoyed, and it reminded me of my Blakean experience of going to the William Blake exhibition just before the Covid darkness descended upon the land. “Keep the vision”, said Patti, “Everything is before us!”. Ghost Dance was fantastic. It is about Hopi Indians but applies to all communities. “We shall live again, shake out the ghost dance!”. The great Dancing Barefoot followed, and Patti gobbed on the stage. A Patti gig without spitting wouldn’t be the same. A highlight of the evening was the rendition of Stevie Wonder’s song Blame It On The Sun which moved some in the audience to tears. I wish I had filmed that song.
Under The Southern Cross was dedicated to all those who didn’t make it through this stinking pandemic. I loved the frenzied guitar play towards the end of the song. The recent death of Charlie Watts might have been the reason for I’m Free which evolved into Lou Reed’s Walk On The Wild Side. This song featured Lenny Kaye while Patti had a quick costume change in order to be theatrical. Her only UK top twenty hit Because The Night was next. I went right up to the stage to film this, and Patti looked right at me. It was great. (See video below) Patti wrote this song with Bruce Springsteen after the death of her husband Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith, and she dedicated it to him. I also filmed a very moving performance of Bob Dylan’s One Too Many Mornings which I might put on youtube later. Pissing In A River followed, and Patti showed her humour by saying how messy she was, and she had put ‘Do Not Disturb’ on her hotel room door, even though she wasn’t there, because she felt sorry for the maid who would have to tidy it up.
Land and Gloria were next, from her album Horses which is what introduced me to Patti Smith 45 years ago when I first heard it at my mate Fred’s flat in Peterborough. Patti then left the stage, but we knew she would return. The encore was the anthemic fabulous People Have The Power, followed by Not Fade Away which shows that Patti has no intentions of fading away anytime soon. Her energy and joy in performing puts other younger singers to shame. We left the concert still buzzing after a great performance. We had time for one last drink in the pub opposite the station and caught the 10.40 train home. Thank you very much Patti Smith and her great band for a wonderful night out in Bath.
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