Michael Stipe Surprises Fans By Joining Patti Smith On Stage At Webster Hall

In a huge surprise for fans last night, singer Patti Smith brought out former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe to perform alongside her at Webster Hall in New York. Smith’s performance at Webster Hall last night was just the first of her two-day set of shows, continuing with another concert tonight. The duo hit the stage for a solid 15 minutes of Smith’s set, with Stipe taking part in a variety of both new and old songs.

Michael Stipe is one of the most famous musicians of the 1990s, with R.E.M. becoming one of the most influential rock bands of the time. Their hits “Losing My Religion” and “Everybody Hurts” are still known worldwide. Inspiring an entire generation of musicians, R.E.M. has cemented its place in rock history with albums such as Out Of Time and Automatic For The People. This performance proves that Stipe has no signs of slowing down, still putting on incredible performances over 40 years into his career. As the surprise opening act before Smith’s set, he debuted new solo material.

After Stipe took the stage, Smith put on an amazing show for fans, performing a mix of her own hits and other classic songs. Covering musicians from Jimi Hendrix to Neil Young, Smith had something for everybody at Webster Hall last night. A clip of one of the songs can be found below, her performance of the track “Dancing Barefoot.”

Patti Smith at Webster Hall 5/1 Setlist:

“April Fool”
“Are You Experienced?” (The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover) (with “Third Stone From The Sun” riff)
“Redondo Beach”
“My Blakean Year”
“Beds Are Burning” (Midnight Oil cover)
“We Three” (Patti Smith Group song)
“The American in Me” (Avengers cover) (Lenny Kaye vocal)
“I’m Free” (The Rolling Stones cover) (Lenny Kaye vocal)
“Dancing Barefoot” (Patti Smith Group song)
“After the Gold Rush” (Neil Young cover)
“25th Floor” (Patti Smith Group song)
“Beneath the Southern Cross”
“Pissing in a River” (Patti Smith Group song)
“Gloria” (Them cover) (with Jesse Paris Smith)

Encore:
“Because the Night” (Patti Smith Group song)
“People Have the Power” (with Jesse Paris Smith and Michael Stipe)

Photo Credits: Alyssa Fried