NYS Music 202​1

Tag: Patti Smith

  • Patti Smith Awarded Key to NYC by Mayor Bill de Blasio

    Patti Smith was awarded the key to NYC by Mayor Bill de Blasio just weeks before the end of his term on December 27, 2021. 

    patti smith summerstage
    Patti Smith at Central Park Summerstage 10 by S. Malinski

    The Key resembles the large skeleton key that opens the back door of City Hall, but is purely symbolic and it does not open any locks or doors in reality. It is a symbol of civic recognition and gratitude reserved for individuals whose service to the public and the common good rises to the highest level of achievement.

    Although Patti Smith was actually born in Chicago, Illinois she has considered NYC as her adoptive city  having grown up in South Jersey. Her love for the city is known wide and far so her receiving this symbol of civic recognition was obviously a big deal for her. Her reaction to this honor was saying,“I wish I could give New York City the key to me, because that’s how I feel about our city. With all its challenges and difficulties, it remains—and I’m quite a traveler—the most diverse city in the world. To receive this at 75, it makes me look even more forward to the next 25 years.”

    De Blasio spoke of his decision to bestow the key to Patti Smith,”To me, Patti Smith has an authenticity that you just didn’t find… in that many places,” noting that she’s been called the “godmother of punk.”

    De Blasio has been bestowing keys to a number of public figures apart from the legendary Patti Smith. Some of the public figures include legendary music producer Clive Davis (who helped stage the ultimately Mother Nature-interrupted “Homecoming” concert in Central Park), and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for his indefatigable support for the city. 

    Watch the full video of Patti Smith receiving this key bellow:

    For more information on this Patti Smith being awarded a Key to NYC by Mayor Bill de Blasio read Pitchfork’s article on it here.

  • Patti Smith Greets a Harvest Moon for Hometown Show at SummerStage

    Author, poet, songwriter, and Queen of New York Patti Smith graced the stage at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park with her bandfor a free Sunday evening show this past weekend as part of the Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage concert series.

    Patti Smith SummerStage

    Nearly one month ago Smith was set to perform as part of the mega NYC Homecoming Concert in the Great Lawn, which was cut short by the watery remnants of Hurricane Henri before she had her turn on stage. Confirmed in an interview she did that evening with Anderson Cooper, she we would have performed a duet with Bruce Springsteen on the song they penned together, “Because the Night.” While there was no surprise Bruce appearance, Smith made a full-hearted fancy of the tune in dedication to her late husband Fred Smith.

    A NYC-cultivated setlist payed tribute and honor to Smith’s equals who’ve either passed or fortunate to still be contributing to the arts. Early in the show Smith dedicated the reggae-infused “Renando Beach” to the late Jamaican record producer Lee “Scratch” Perry and went on to pay tribute to Charlie Watts with “Beneath the Southern Cross.” In tribute to former Saturday Night Live star Norm Macdonald Smith introduced Stevie Wonder’s “Blame it on the Sun” with a quote from the late comedian. Her band paid homage to Hilly Kristal and his CBGB legacy with a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “I’m Free” with an interlude of Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.” Lastly, Smith tipped her hat to Bob Dylan with her take on his song “One Too Many Mornings.”

    As a poet Smith performed her spoken word poem “Perfect Moon” to welcome in the approaching Harvest Moon leading seamlessly into the lyrics and music of “Dancing Barefoot.”

    Patti Smith SummerStage

    After a short encore break, Smith’s show ended with a message of strength “People Have the Power.” With fists in the air, many sang along in solidarity with that message.

    The Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage concert series continues into early October; for more information check out the schedule here.

    Setlist: Grateful, Redondo Beach, Free Money, Ghost Dance, Perfect Moon (poem), Dancing Barefoot, Ain’t It Strange, Beneath the Southern Cross, Blame It on the Sun, I’m Free -> Walk on the Wild Side -> I’m Free, Because the Night, Pissing in a River, One Too Many Mornings, Land / Gloria

    Encore: People Have the Power

  • Patti Smith to honor Bob Dylan with Poetry and Song

    Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Tivoli, just across the Hudson River from Saugerties, will host their inaugural, outdoor Spring Festival. Joining them will be Patti Smith and her longtime collaborator Tony Shanahan, who will offer tribute to Bob Dylan ahead of his upcoming 80th birthday, through original songs and poetry as well as works by Dylan, on May 22, 2021.

    On Instagram, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park said they were “Thrilled to have poet performer Patti Smith participate in our upcoming spring festival.”

    patti smith bob dylan
    photo by Jesse Dittmar

    Smith and Dylan have a longstanding relationship going back to the 1960s, and Smith even performed at Dylan’s Nobel Prize for Literature ceremony in 2016 in his absence.

    Additional offerings for the late-May festival will the include works of dance, culinary arts and sculpture.

    Artistic Director of Kaatsbaan, Stella Abrera, explained what the event will entail.

    The name Kaatsbaan, derived from the Dutch language for ‘a playing field,’ will embody our Spring Festival in every way. We have always been a haven away from the constraints of city life where artists can realize their most ambitious projects. In May, the public will have the opportunity to see this in action, as we create immersive experiences across our fields where they can safely encounter an unparalleled range of artists and styles.

    Kaatbaan Artistic Director Stella Abrera

    Following the success of a 2020 Summer Festival, held despite challenges faced at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first Spring Festival will take place on May 22. During last year’s nine-week Summer Festival, Kaatsbaan was able to support over 100 New York-based artists, as noted by executive director Sonja Kostich.

    This spring, the greatly expanded program will not only support artists in dance but also across music, poetry, visual and culinary arts, as well as the invaluable individuals who work behind the scenes to make a festival come to life. Kaatsbaan is also committed to the health and vibrancy of our local economy, with the Spring Festival providing opportunities for local economic growth that includes exciting new partnerships.

    Kaatsbaan Executive Director Sonja Kostich

    Visit Kaatsbaan.org for tickets and more information. h/t Jambands.com