Which songs has Patti Smith played live the most?
Patti Smith’s live shows are both an oration and a party. She presides over her given arena offering poetry and musical prowess in equal measure and you leave feeling awed. She might have gotten off to a shaky start in 1971 with her first ever gig, but after things blossomed in 1975 she has barely stopped playing.
Her shows are so anthemic that one may assume ‘Because the Night’ has been the most-played song on her rolling tour, but this assumption would be wrong. The song penned in collaboration with Bruce Springsteen is only the second most played song, according to Setlist. It is, in fact, ’People Have the Power’, which takes the top spot with 1,306 plays, compared to 1,287 performances of ‘Because The Night’.
It is a fitting anthem that defines the raw power of her performances. The track showcases Smith’s unique knack for making a point in style. When heard live, the message of this classic cut feels palpable and true. Smith rams the point home—and has done almost 1,300 times over—that people really do have the power, even if they only realise it at the odd rock show.
This is a message that defines the star’s career. In 1974, Smith formed her own band in favour of becoming Blue Oyster Cult’s lead vocalist. The band was named Patti Smith Group, and their first single was ‘Hey Joe / Piss Factory’. It was a beginning that delved into her harsh personal life at the time and exhibited honest vulnerability. This is how she has always viewed punk, and it has been a huge inspiration to many.
Bono has even gone on record about being “jealous” of the revered CBGB talent. The U2 frontman said, “Patti Smith has served words and melody, and I notice that I’m jealous of her singularity and purpose. So many of the characters I wish to inhabit come together in Patti Smith: the poet, the seer, the spitting-venom punk rocker, the revelry and reverie…Above all, the pilgrim. Leaving home to find home.”
As it happens, this sense of music being a guiding force is absolutely intentional. It inspired her away from the hardships of her isolated home life as a kid. When asked about her first musical memory, Smith mentioned, “The first real profound one was hearing Little Richard singing ‘Tutti Frutti’ when I was very young, maybe 5 or 6”. She told Interview magazine, “The energy of it just, like, got me. I didn’t know what it was. I was just a little girl, but the energy in it was akin to a child’s boundless energy”.
’People Have the Power’ perfectly captures that staple rock ‘n’ roll message. But it isn’t alone in the regulars among her set. Smith has never turned against her own legacy and seeks to please the adoring crowds she has amassed over the years, albeit this is perhaps tied to how relevant her back catalogue remains. Other songs that made it to the higher end of the list of songs Smith has played over the years include: ’Beneath the Southern Cross’, ’Dancing Barefoot’ and ’Pissing in a River’.
Last month, Smith played arguably her most fitting venue to date with a sold-out show at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Prior to the concert, she told The Times there is a duality to her songwriting, and while bringing people together at her shows, she can feel lonely.
She said, “Artists can’t help it. Our world revolves around ourselves in that we are always preoccupied. We have to be careful — you’re with people you love, but you’re trying to figure out the last line of that poem. I know that I’m often — I can’t help it — but sometimes I’m slightly absent.”
