Newstalgia Backstage Weekend with a live concert performance by Patti Smith at The Cellar Door in Washington D.C. in January 1976.
June 18, 2011

Patti-Smith-resized.jpg
Patti Smith - taking the piss out of preconceived notions.


It occurred to me that, in all the time I've had Newstalgia and featured the Backstage Weekend, I haven't put up any Patti Smith either in the studio or in concert. There's an incredible amount to choose from - and all of it one form of milestone or another. But this tape jumped out at me, so I thought starting as close to the early days as possible was probably a good idea.

So this weekend's concert comes from The Cellar Door in Washington D.C. and was recorded in January 1976. The setting seems intimate and the audience doesn't sound overflowing - that would change shortly.

So as a reminder of just what all the excitement was about, here is that set from the Cellar Door.

Enjoy.

Can you help us out?

For nearly 20 years we have been exposing Washington lies and untangling media deceit, but now Facebook is drowning us in an ocean of right wing lies. Please give a one-time or recurring donation, or buy a year's subscription for an ad-free experience. Thank you.

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.
Mastodon