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Watch Patti Smith Perform “People Have the Power” for the Inauguration

[Brooklyn Vegan]

In honor of Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday (1/20), Patti Smith, in collaboration with CIRCA, held a virtual inaugural presentation with poetry, music, readings, and more.

The 30-minute video includes a performance of “People Have The Power,” soundtracking a montage of clips that pay homage to people and organizations, including Shirley Chisholm, Kamala Harris, Greta Thunberg, Naomi Wadler, The Soup Kitchen, and the Emergency Designer Network, “who have used their voice to create a better future.” Among the montage are snippets from Patti and Lenny Kaye’s performance of the song for NYC voters back in November, and it begins with a tribute to the over 100 NHS healthcare workers who died while courageously working throughout the pandemic.

Introducing the presentation, Patti says:

It’s a beautiful night, we have a new President and Vice President and our democracy seems to be quite intact and just wish everyone a better year. 2020 has been a Blakean year but I think the glad day is coming. This performance goes to everyone, it’s for everyone all over the world. Fred wrote it so that it might be embraced and it might inspire people globally, and it has. His wishes came true and may the wishes ring out in the New Year.

Watch the entire presentation below.