Patti Smith Fascinates, Intrigues, Uplifts Austin - Stubb's, 4/30/13

For the past 40 years, Patti Smith has been the essence of the rock icon, and punk rock icon more specifically. She naturally fell into the perfect job for her - she doesn't pay a second of thought to what others think, while at the same time sharing her incredibly poetic, personal music with the world, a dichotomy which only serves to amp up the power of the messages in her music.

Patti's live show is the definition of simplicity and old school rock: there are absolutely no visuals on display (unless you count Patti's darting, witchy eyes), and she doesn't need opening act. This was one of the few shows on the Stubb's outdoor stage I've seen that was actually not sold out, which created a refreshing amount of personal space in the venue, while still buzzing with diehard fans. A line formed an hour prior to doors as concert-goers hoped to secure a spot mere feet away from the songstress herself.

While Patti doesn't tour often, she hasn't been gone from Austin for too long. Her show with long-time guitarist/pianist Tony Shanahan at the Paramount in October 2012, which featured acoustic songs along with passages from her acclaimed book, Just Kids, was a transcendental affair, so you can bet Austin was excited to have her back for a full-band show.

At Stubb's, she didn't disappoint, delivering a 20-song tour de force set filled with classics such as "Redondo Beach" and the always amazing "Pissing in a River." Four selections from her latest album Banga also received a warm reception, with "This is the Girl" making the most impact (her tribute to Amy Winehouse). She took a moment to honor the memory of recently-deceased legend George Jones, requesting a minute of pure silence before launching into a stellar version of "Beneath the Southern Cross."

The audience even got a CBGB-era anecdote about hanging out in the alley of the legendary rock club with Tom Verlaine of Television and seeing UFOs, which served as the introduction to the rarely-played "Distant Fingers," a song which she claimed Shanahan blackmailed her into playing at the show.

Ms. Smith's voice only seems to improve with age. While she may seem more reserved now than in her early New York days, her years of wisdom have brought an interesting mix of levity and gravity to her deeper vocals. She also has an excellent band backing her up. Lead guitarist Lenny Kaye took the reins mid-set for an energetic medley of covers that pushed the energy level in the venue to the next level.

Patti was beaming throughout the entire show. She seemed to be enjoying every moment of playing for her fans, not going through the motions. In a music scene completely inundated with up-and-coming artists dying to make a name for themselves - and willing to sell-out to the next car company for some exposure (even Iggy Pop is doing insurance commercials) - it's utterly satisfying to be able to enjoy a timeless artist such as Patti who refuses to compromise brilliance in any way.

Sound City Players at SXSW - Final Performance, Live at Stubb's, 3/14/13

Other than Prince, this year's official main SXSW Music attraction was Dave Grohl. The former drummer of Nirvana and leader of Foo Fighters, Grohl was invited to give the keynote speech during the Music portion of SXSW, joining such rock icons as Bruce Springsteen, Robert Plant, and Smokey Robinson. Not only did Grohl give a great speech, but he also brought his most recent music project, Sound City Players, to an exclusive show at Stubb's that featured Grohl on guitar and drums for over 3 hours as he paid tribute to music history. The show included seven sets that each showcased one or more musicians in a roller coaster of genres.

This was definitely a special show: the Sound City Players project is probably short-lived and has only included a handful of performances in small venues. The SXSW show is likely the last one, according to Rolling Stone. 

Starting the show off with an engaging performance by The Meat Puppets was an excellent choice by Grohl, as the aging rockers included in their set the several songs of theirs that were featured in Nirvana's unbelievable Unplugged performance, such as 'Lake of Fire'. It was a good night to arrive early, because both The Meat Puppets and Sound City Players started their sets around 30 minutes earlier than had been announced on the schedule, leading to a much earlier finish time (midnight) than we expected (2 am) - always a nice surprise on a weeknight of a multi-day festival.

Grohl came out and gave a short introduction into the purpose of the show, which was inspired by the Sound City documentary he produced that details the history of the famous California recording studio, before launching into a rocking set with Alain Johannes of Queens of the Stone Age with some killer guitar solos.

The obvious highlight of the show came sooner than expected, as Stevie Nicks' set was moved from its prior position as the final set to the second slot of the show, surprising more than a few huge fans who were really there to see her. I'll be the first to admit I am a huge Nicks fan, so I'm biased here, but her mere presence seemed to take the show to another level. Her hit-filled set produced the most sing-alongs, including a beautiful duet of the classic duet 'Stop Draggin' My Heart Around' with Grohl on Petty's part, and a show-stopping, full band blowout of 'Gold Dust Woman' to finish her set.

Anticipated sets by John Fogerty and Rick Springfield met the mark, but did not deliver much of anything particularly memorable, other than a 2 minute guitar solo by Fogerty and a solid 'Proud Mary'. The strangest performances of the night featured Lee Ving of Fear, which may not have been the best fit for this crowd, though I suppose you could say he pulled off what he set out to accomplish.

Major props to Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters for his flawless drum work across the evening, and even letting himself be pulled in to a duet of Cheap Trick's hit 'I Want You to Want Me', with Corey Taylor of Slipknot (with Rick Nielsen on guitar, of course). This alone explains the "cool" factor that transcended the entire show. And the ribbon that tied it all together was the pure joy Grohl was experiencing on that stage with all of his guests.