Went to the Roundhouse tonight (Thursday) with Owen to see Patti Smith and she was in majestic form. Somehow we managed to have tickets in the back row of the circle but it's only about 6 back and we had a good face-on view of the stage between two of the columns.

Sure enough about 8:15 the band materialised on stage and there she was in her regulation skinny-leg jeans, boots. long white shirt and dark jacket, a big grin on her face and waving waif-like at the crowd. She stepped up to the mike and sang "Jesus died for somebody's sins.... but not mine" as we looked at each other saying "Eeeeeeek" and the audience roared. After G-L-O-R-I-Aing our way through that it was onto a very loose skanky REDONDO BEACH and the first song from her new 'covers' album, Jimi Hendrix's ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? I was a bit unsure of TWELVE when I first heard it but listening to it again at Owen's on Sunday it seemed to come together more and all of the songs she did tonight from the album fitted in easily with her own classic songs.

In an exciting two hours she powered through great versions of PRIVILEGE (SET ME FREE), FREE MONEY, AIN'T IT STRANGE, PISSING IN A RIVER, BENEATH THE SOUTHERN CROSS, WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU (I can feel Owen almost pop with excitement she included this) and SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT. A long, loopy story about the British Museum led into WHITE RABBIT and she threw in for us that little-heard song from her back-catalogue BECAUSE THE NIGHT. While happily joining in with the chorus it suddenly struck me that I was doing the same thing roughly 29 years ago up the road at the Rainbow in Finsbury Park.
Me and my girl Patti go way back.

And she sang FREDERICK. I've never heard her do this live and watching her dancing along with the Godlike Lenny Kaye during the instrumental break - like a shy pupil and a geography teacher at the school disco - it suddenly occured to me that this was a great unclaimed Disco classic - suggested no doubt by Jay Dee Daugherty's powerhouse thumping drum beat! Oh and I also realised I had tears in my eyes from pure pleasure.

The encore was a rather free and easy EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD - she came in early on the first line and late at the end - and I thought what an odd unassuming song to pick for the encore. But I had underestimated wor Patti who started riffing on the theme of bastards who do indeed want to rule the world and how you must never be like them... better to be free... outside of society.. yep after a snarled "You're not afraid of a fuckin' pop song are you?" to the front row she ripped the ring-piece out of ROCK N ROLL NIGGER - it was fantastic.

And after trying to get my head around climate change these past few years, Patti managed to explain it with "Mother Earth.... she is screaming... I am dying.... come and help me... or I'll take you down with me".

The woman is a genius. It's an honour to see her.