Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Before screaming a single note inside a just shy of sold out Salt Shed, the enduringly inimitable and always insightful Patti Smith proclaimed how wonderful it felt to be back in the town where she was born.

Between then and being just three days shy of her 77th birthday, the singer/songwriter of course went on to be the godmother of the early New York punk scene and has since impacted the entire globe as a fearless freedom fighter and social justice seeker.

Equal parts poetically and politically changed, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and her ace band, anchored by guitarist Lenny Kaye, didn’t have any new material to promote, so they did nothing but steamroll through two hours of seminal retrospective selections.

Despite most material coming from the 1970s and ‘80s, it was arguably all the more relevant right now than it’s ever been with Smith showing no signs of coming off a cold or her advancing years.


If anything, the headliner came across like a hurricane during The Byrds’ “So You Want To Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star” into her own “Ghost Dance” and “Free Money,” plus nailed the iconic Bruce Springsteen collaboration “Because The Night,” which was placed surprisingly early in the set.

Kaye took the lead on Ewan MacColl’s “Dirty Old Town” as a dedication to The Pogues’ Shane MacGowan, Smith did the same surrounding “Dancing Barefoot” for Sinead O’Connor and there was even a spoken word segment paying tribute to fellow late opera great and unexpected influence Maria Callas.

Along the way, she also spit, burped, joked and cursed out a water bottle thrower (who was swiftly ejected by security), while eagerly rallying the audience to be the change needed in this increasingly power-hungry world.

Though an incendiary blend of “Land” and Them’s “Gloria” could’ve easily been the end, an encore of “People Have The Power” perhaps best reflected the latter sentiment, sending everyone’s fists straight into the air emboldened by the empowering attitude that only come from being in the gripping presence of Patti Smith.

For additional information on Patti Smith, visit PattiSmith.net.

For a list of upcoming Jam Productions concerts, visit JamUSA.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at The Salt Shed include Mt. Joy (Dec. 28-31); Drama (Jan. 20); Black Pumas (Jan. 25-27); Crying At The Shed (Feb. 14-16); Cold War Kids (Feb. 23); Inzo (Feb. 24); Neck Deep (Feb. 25); Porno For Pyros (Feb. 26); Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit (Feb. 29-Mar. 1); Greensky Bluegrass (Mar. 2); AC Slater (Mar. 8); LANY (Mar. 29-30); Jeff Rosenstock (Apr. 11); Belle & Sebastian (May 4); The Teskey Brothers (May 10); Social Distortion and Bad Religion (May 18); Bleachers (May 25); Brothers Osborne (Jun. 22) and All Time Low (Jul. 6). For additional details, visit SaltShedChicago.com.

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