It's rare for an album to remain so revelatory and important after endless repeated listens. So it's quite something that Patti Smith's debut album 'Horses', now 40-years-old, continues to sound remarkable after all this time. It's an evening of notable landmarks, having toured the much-loved album in full throughout the year, tonight's show at the Roundhouse marks the 50th show of the tour.
Stepping onstage with her band to a truly rapturous reception, Smith recites 'Compacted Awareness' - the poem which adorns the back of her iconic album cover, before launching into a scintillating and overwhelmingly euphoric version of 'Gloria', with the crowd yelling back every single word.
Of course, what follows is inevitable, given that the album is being played in full, but what this show lacks in spontaneity is more than made up for by Smith's unbridled passion and energy, which is truly astonishing, given that in her own words, she's "fucking old". A case in point is 'Birdland', which swells and swells into a beautiful cacophony as Smith delivers her lines as though she's performing some sort of spell on the audience.
It would be remiss not to note the audience tonight – it's hard to recall another show in which the response to a performer has been so warm and enthusiastic. Whilst trying to hold back emotionally, Smith is visibly overwhelmed, given the Cheshire-cat grin she sports as she pauses in between songs to drink in the moment. As Smith and her phenomenal band near towards the end of the record with 'Land', there's a contagious energy around the venue that no other singer would be able to summon. All it takes Smith is a cry of "Come on motherfuckers!" and she's got them screaming in delight at her. What follows is a truly emotional rendition of 'Elegie', as Smith pays tribute mid-song to those she loved and those who inspired her, who are sadly no longer with us.
With the album done, Smith delves into her back catalogue, taking in her greatest hits and a few curios. She leaves the stage to allow her band to take centre stage, performing a medley of Velvet Underground songs, before returning for a truly powerful and spiritual 'Beneath The Southern Cross'. It seemed unlikely that she would be able to top the first half of this show, but Smith keeps pushing herself and her audience on to a higher plain.
Then inevitably come the big hits – 'Because The Night' of course eliciting a massive singalong and the closing 'People Have The Power', which perfectly embodies everything about Smith, her extraordinary spirit and overwhelming passion for what she does, which is thrown lovingly right back at her by the audience.
Following a thunderous demand for more, she returns to the stage for a chaotic cover of The Who's 'My Generation', as amidst a squall of ungodly noise and feedback, she holds a guitar aloft and claims it to be "the most powerful weapon of out generation." The voice and energy that Patti possesses is, to be honest, just as powerful a weapon. We need people like her, now more than ever.