Patti Smith once wrote about how the atmosphere changed when Bob Dylan walked into a room. For some decades now, she too can be counted among those who startle molecules upon appearing in a space. For her Dublin concert commemorating the 40th anniversary of her debut album, Horses, that space was a little smaller than expected, in a tent on the site of the semi-dismantled Forbidden Fruit festival on the grounds of Imma in Kilmainham.
The main stage was a shell in the background thanks to inclement weather (according to the promoters), or poor ticket sales (according to most other people). The good thing about the organisers not reaching everyone who should have known about this anniversary concert for Smith’s seminal record (and resorting to giving tickets away for free as the concert drew closer), was that a smaller enclosure suited the vibe on a wintery night in June.
Horses is a record of idiosyncratic genius, and its influence is still being felt. The opening chords of Gloria and the subsequent taut yet bombastic retelling of that epic tune plunged the evening into a euphoria it rarely wavered from. By the time Break It Up came around, Smith's prowess was both restorative and at times overwhelming. The clarity and power of Smith's voice defies the wisdom that such an instrument should creak as it ages. Smith's vocal prowess has in fact percolated, reaching a richness and depth, that adds yet further layers to Horses. As the anniversary part of the concert wrapped, she continued, summoning the anthemic Because the Night and the brilliant Pissing in a River.
It is remarkable that a record released 40 years ago, and its creator, can still summon such urgency. The reason is that Smith is real and uncompromising. Staying true to her art has ensured its endurance. But there's also a brilliant sense of lightness about her performance, a sense of enjoyment, a feeling of fun and passion. There is no room for the dourness of rock'n'roll, only its freedom, retold here has if it had been scratched down in a notebook in Greenwich Village only yesterday. The night was topped off with Smith passing her guitar to Kevin Shields for People Have the Power. On this windswept patch of green on a hill in Dublin, and everywhere else for that matter, Smith reigns.
