Patti Smith to Perform Livestream From Electric Lady Studios
Patti Smith will perform a livestream show for her Substack newsletter subscribers that will be broadcast from New York's Electric Lady Studios on Feb. 2.
The singer-songwriter will be joined by two of her longtime collaborators, Lenny Kaye and Tony Shanahan, for a "special night of music, readings and conversation." Ahead of the event, which will start at 8PM ET, viewers will be emailed a link with instructions for accessing the stream. Fans will be able to request songs and readings, as well as access a replay of the show for 24 hours following the broadcast.
"I've never done this before," Smith said in a promotional video for the event. "It's an experiment."
Smith launched her Substack account last spring and has since shared various selections of poetry, music and audio and video notes on the platform. The singer also featured her first longer serialized work The Melting on Substack. The project is nearing completion with 40 installments. As a press release describes it, The Melting "started as her private pandemic journal" but since took "a twist down an unexpected path, with elements of science fiction and connections to the climate crisis."
Last December, Smith and her band were scheduled to perform several live shows, including a special concert at the Capitol Theatre just outside New York City in celebration of Smith's 75th birthday. But they were forced to postpone the performances due to rising coronavirus cases. Smith will return to live performances on Feb. 22 in Brooklyn; her birthday concert has been rescheduled for Feb. 24. "I was looking forward to them all, and I was looking forward to turning 75 with you," Smith said in an Instagram video. "But I'll still be 75 in February, and that in itself is a bit of an accomplishment."
For more information on the upcoming Electric Lady livestream and the opportunity to attend, subscribe to Smith's Substack before Feb. 2.