The night belonged to Patti Smith at the Tribeca Film Festival — and to her friend Bruce Springsteen, who thrilled the crowd with a surprise visit to perform the hit they co-wrote, "Because the Night."
The occasion was Monday night's premiere of a new concert documentary about Smith, "Horses: Patti Smith and Her Band," directed by Steven Sebring. After the film, which documents the January 2016 Los Angeles concerts where Smith performed her album, "Horses," to mark its 40th anniversary, the curtain rose at Manhattan's Beacon Theater. Standing there was Smith, 71, and her band — this time in the flesh.
They performed several hits, including "Dancing Barefoot" and "Gloria." After Smith introduced her band members, she said she had one more person to introduce — and out strolled Springsteen, to the roaring of the crowd. Together, they performed "Because the Night," for which Springsteen wrote the music and chorus, and Smith the verses. Springsteen stayed around for the finale, too, a spirited rendition of Smith's "People Have the Power." On that one, they were joined another friend — former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe.
During the concert, Smith paid tribute to the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and their fight against gun violence, calling them "the hope of this planet."
"We have to be with them — pray with them, march with them," she said, before launching into a rendition of "For What It's Worth." ''Their cause is our future.
Again at the end of the set, Smith called on "our young people to lead us."
"People, we have to make change NOW," she said.
Sebring's documentary will become available for streaming in May.
