Patti Smith, the singer, photographer and writer has just arrived on stage for an unprecedented and exceptional closing of this forty-sixth edition of the Book on the Place. The Opéra national de Lorraine is sold out. The spectators have booked well in advance to hear her, in reading and in song, pay tribute to the authors who have accompanied her throughout her life. She is accompanied by her daughter Jesse Paris Smith on the piano.
She apologizes for only speaking English and says, “I think in French but I speak English.”
Photos from her Instagram account are projected on the screen, including the cafe where she usually reads while drinking her coffee in New York. She often laughs, apologizes and explains that she is nervous.
She projects a snapshot from her camera and a Polaroid. One of the objects she loves. She talks about her love for Joan Baez, “the queen of her generation.” The first notes ring out. Her daughter plays, Patti Smith sings.
Photos scroll behind her on the stage, images of people she loved like Yoko Ono, a photo of her mother teaching her to walk. The story composed of intimate anecdotes about her life, her childhood is interspersed with readings of poetic texts.
She now sings the piece she composed for her daughter Jesse. Her daughter accompanies her on the piano. The duet is moving. A moment of sweetness after this hectic Sunday at the Livre sur la Place.
Another photo is projected, that of her daughter’s father Jesse, “the love of her life” she explains. She sings a song in which she pays tribute to him. The notes of Grateful ring out.
Jesse is at the piano. Behind him scrolls a photo of Arthur Rimbaud’s grave. A photo is projected showing the face of the poet and that of Jean Genet. “They are among my favorite authors.”
She sings the famous song People have the Power. The audience sings along with her.
