Peace and Noise Tour T-shirt Worn by Patti Smith

Songwriter and vocalist Patti Smith wore this t-shirt at New York’s CBGB club during her short 1997 Peace and Noise tour that was held over four nights. On its front, the shirt displays one of Smith’s dynamic art pieces, which was also used for the cover of a three-song promotional CD. The back is signed by Smith and reveals the lyrics “be a gathering” taken from the song “Waiting Underground” from her Peace and Noise album.  

Peace and Noise was the seventh studio album by Smith and was released in 1997 on Arista Records. Her shows at CBGB club included a mixture of songs from the album as well as cover songs of the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams and others.  

Patti Smith (b.1946) is a poet, songwriter and singer known for her influence on the New York Punk music scene and beyond. Often referred to as the “godmother of Punk,” Smith’s music is packed with lyrical imagery and intense delivery that stood out in New York’s Art Rock scene in the 1970s. Some widely known songs include “Gloria,” “Dancing Barefoot,” and “Because the Night” which she co-wrote with Bruce Springsteen in 1978 as a single for the Patti Smith Group. Smith was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 and won the 2010 National Book Award for her memoir Just Kids, that documented her life and relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe.