I don’t quite remember when I discovered the Patti Smith Group. Patti and the band was different than anyone else around at the time. They were edgy, heavy, and had a punk rock tenacity that were mesmerizing. 

The “Easter”, and particularly the “Wave” albums, were my favorites of theirs and I only discovered the “Horses” and “Radio Ethiopia” albums later on.

We traveled from Queens to Hempstead, Long Island to see the Patti Smith Group at the Calderone Concert Hall. The Calderone was a bit off the beaten track, particularly for us, and was located in what used to be not a great neighborhood. At some point during our travels I bought  long stemmed carnation in the unlikely event I got close enough to hand it off to her for dramatic effect. We sat in the orchestra on the aisle and at some point during the show (I think it was at the start) Ms. Smith walked down our aisle and I held out the white carnation in her direction. Patti whipped her hand around, aggressively grabbed the flower without breaking stride while heading toward the stage. There was a big video screen in the front and I was sure that this moment would somehow make it into a rock and roll movie and Immortilize the moment for all time. In retrospect, it was likely an in house video screen but at the time it felt like a big deal. Details of both the Calderone and Central Park Concerts are unclear but the thoughts of this brief interaction with a rock and roll great are emblazoned in my memory and on my rock show resume forever. 

The former Calderone Concert Hall location is now home to a church.

Because the Night

Rock on!

GQ