In 2015, Patti Smith went on tour with her band to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her debut album, Horses. Now it’s been announced that a new documentary titled Horses: Patti Smith and her Band has been made using footage of the tour’s final gig at Los Angeles’ Wiltern Theater.
In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2014, the then 67-year-old said,
“I think we continue to deliver all of these songs sometimes stronger than when I was young… So I’m going to be happy to celebrate it, to perform the album with happiness, not with any kind of cynicism or a cashing-in thing. It will be a true, proud celebration, so the answer is yes.”
I attended one of the three sold-out shows at The Fillmore in San Francisco in early 2015 and can attest that it was a strong performance. The 1975 album was performed in its entirety, in sequence, and Patti rocked the whole show hard.
The new film was directed by Steven Sebring and executive produced by record producer Jimmy Iovine. It premieres April 23 at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. After the screening, Smith and her band will perform some songs, including the album’s title track.