Concert Review: Patti Smith Group, Final Night at CBGB's - Page 2

The street in front of CBGB is a mob scene, with several stalled lines apparently feeding into the club. There’s a press event going on inside, and nobody gets in without credentials. It’s 51 degrees on the Bowery, and most people are feeling the chill. But nobody gives up. Reporters and camera crews are everywhere interviewing fans - you can’t move two feet without bumping into a TV, print or radio journalist, or a podcaster. Everybody feels the gravity of the night. At 9:00 we ever so slooowly begin to filter into the club.

The door security is TIGHT, and initially only ticket holders and guest list folks make it in. I find out later from one girl inside who didn’t have an advance ticket, that she was actually able to buy a last-minute ticket at the door after waiting in line for NINE HOURS.

To my surprise, the crowd inside is sparse upon entry. Instead of punk chestnuts by CBGB legends, the DJ is spinning ‘60s garage classics like the Sonics’ “Strychnine” and the Brogues’ “I Ain’t No Miracle Worker.” Perhaps Nuggets mastermind Lenny Kaye had some input on the pre-show song selection. After securing a spot about eight feet from the left of the stage, my friends and I begin talking to strangers who had also made it in, sharing punk war stories and bemoaning the demise of the club. I realize that was always one of the cool things about going to CBGB - you always had a 90% guarantee that if you started talking with the person next to you, you likely shared a lot of commonality.

By 10:00, the club is packed to the rafters and the Patti Smith Group arrives on stage for what will become a marathon 3-hours-plus set. On the street everyone had been buzzing about which special guests would be playing in addition to Patti, but outside of guest spots by Television guitarist Richard Lloyd and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea, there are no special guests. Which turns out to be just fine.

I don’t think Patti or her band would mind my saying that the show started off shaky. There were several false starts, and Patti cussed a bit that she wasn’t able to quickly nail the material. A version of the Blondie hit “The Tide Is High” left most of the crowd scratching their heads, and a discarded attempt at “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game” didn’t improve matters. The band was back on track by “We Three” from Easter, and a new song about the Guantanamo Bay prison camp hit its mark.

Article Author: Randy H.

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