Patti returned to Sydney after last playing here at the Entertainment Centre as support on one of Bob Dylan’s tours.  This time round we we able to be immersed in the full Patti experience from the early songs, now etched into rock’s mythology, to a couple of reinterpretations from her recent covers record Twelve.

In support were The Drones who restructured their shortish set with Gareth strumming an acoustic, perhaps in deference to the Opera House location.  They clearly impressed the audience, playing tracks across their albums including Shark Fin Blues, and Cold and Sober and Your Acting’s Like the End of the World from the brilliant new Havilah.

Patti and the band casually strode onto the stage and launched into the cod reggae swing of Redondo Beach, setting up the groove that would culminate in the majority of the audience on their feet and dancing to Rock n Roll Nigger by the end of night.  Patti’s charm is one of her talents.  She may trade in visceral, sometimes confrontational thoughts and ideas but her warmth and ‘earth mother’ side always shines through.  This was apparent in the dedications to her ex husband (Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith) and Barack Obama and the couple of walks she took into the audience where the converted flocked to her like she was handing out blessings.

The other key element to her connection is the long standing band she has in Lenny Kaye, Jay Dee Daugherty (both with her for 30+ years), Tony Shanahan and her son Jackson Smith on guitar.  They know when less is more and when to let go and kick out the jams.  Rock n Roll Nigger was visceral yet Birdland was incredibly tender and stately.

Patti kept the covers to a minimum and only played Smells Like Teen Spirit and Neil Young’s Helpless from her recent Twelve record.  For Teen Spirit they were joined by all members of The Drones to work up a ragga like take on Kurt’s tale of cynical angst.  Vocally it came across over earnest but musically the interpretation worked well.

Where the show really took off was toward the end where she rolled out the ‘hits’ in Dancing Barefoot, Because The Night and Horses which morphed into Gloria.  The crowd rose and young and old were letting go and punching the air, ready to take on the establishment and fight for their rights, well until they had to leave and pay for their car park…

Cynicism aside, it really was a great show.  It showed that Patti truly does live her art and shows a genuine delight in playing songs from across her career, with a killer band, in a beautiful setting, with a worshipping audience.