Musical icon and poet Patti Smith took the stage for a surprise performance in Charleston, captivating the audience with a blend of poetry, music, and heartfelt tributes. This intimate pop-up show, part of the Spoleto Festival USA’s collaboration with the Charleston Literary Festival, was held at the historic Second Presbyterian Church. The event marked the first time Smith had performed at this intersection of literature and music, leaving the crowd in awe with her powerful presence.
A Spiritual and Personal Performance
Entering the sunlit church, Patti Smith was greeted by boisterous applause. She joked about the grave markers near the church’s entrance, pointing out that both “Patricia Smith” and “Edward Lee” appeared on nearby headstones, referencing her own middle name, Lee. “I feel fully represented,” she said, bringing a touch of humor to the reflective space.
The surprise show had been teased just days earlier by Spoleto Festival USA, with a black-and-white photo and a cryptic message about “Words & Music: A special evening with….” Within hours of its announcement, tickets had already sold out.
A Blend of Music, Poetry, and Tributes
Throughout the evening, Smith wove her poetry with music, offering a blend of personal stories and tributes to those who shaped her life and work. Supported by her son, Jackson Smith, and long-time bandmate Tony Shanahan, she performed seven songs, including a deeply emotional rendition of Tim Buckley’s “Phantasmagoria in Two,” a song she shared with her late collaborator Robert Mapplethorpe. Smith’s voice cracked with emotion as she described the song’s romantic and bittersweet significance, and despite her fear of “butchering it,” she captured the raw essence of the piece, bringing some in the audience to tears.
The night was filled with memories of the past, as Smith read from her book Just Kids, including a snowy New York day she shared with Mapplethorpe and a letter she had written to him before his passing. Her tribute to Allen Ginsberg, reading his poem “A Supermarket in California,” honored the poet just a day before his birthday, with Smith recalling Dylan’s sentiment of saluting Ginsberg on his special day.
A Tribute to Love, Loss, and Political Beliefs
Smith also dedicated a portion of the evening to her late husband, Fred Smith, the guitarist for the MC5. Her poem “Wilderness,” written after his death, was a raw expression of grief and love, requiring little introduction. “I lost my beautiful husband, the love of my life, at the end of 1994,” she said before reading the heartfelt poem.
The night continued with a tribute to Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, who passed away in 1995. Smith performed “Grateful,” a song filled with hope and love, and shared a touching vision of Garcia’s smiling face, connecting with the audience in a moment of shared joy.
Finding Holiness in Music and Art
Despite a few moments of humor—such as when Smith dropped an F-bomb in the church during her performance of “Beneath the Southern Cross”—the evening remained reverent and full of meaning. Smith acknowledged the church’s spiritual atmosphere, telling the crowd, “This seemed like the perfect place to fail. A beautiful, forgiving place.”
The performance shifted toward political themes as Smith closed the evening with “Peaceable Kingdom,” dedicating it to children lost to war. “It’s an illusion that people win wars,” she stated. “Because if one child is lost to the war, the war is already lost.” The evening ended on a high note with the first verse of her protest anthem “People Have the Power,” leaving the audience inspired.
A Night of Resilience and Hope
Patti Smith’s performance at the Second Presbyterian Church was a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit, the importance of community, and the role of art in addressing both personal and political struggles. With her words and music, Smith encouraged the audience to hold onto hope, reminding them, “The people have the power / To redeem the work of fools / Upon the meek the graces shower / It’s decreed: The people rule.”
