Fan Fare

   At age 61, poet laureate of punk Patti Smith can still rock. And the so-called “next generation” of young filmmakers and filmgoers here at the Sundance Film Festival got to see her do it.

   On Sunday, Smith and her band packed the house at a special performance, and on Monday she did it again for another standing room only audience at a show supporting the documentary about her and her life, “Patti Smith: Dream of Life,” directed by Steven Sebring.

    But altitude, not age, in the mountain town of Park City, Utah where Sundance is held, did take it’s toll on the rock-n-roll Hall of Famer. About five songs into Monday’s set that included her big hit, “Because the Night” she had to pause to catch her breath. ”If I feel a little winded, it ain’t drugs. It’s the altitude,” she said, causing the audience to laugh.

    Smith, who has long been outspoken on politics, also encouraged the crowd to get out and vote in this U.S. presidential election year before launching into her song, “People Have the Power.”

    Sebring told Reuters he spent 12 years working on the documentary and said the two, “are like brother and sister.” “She understands youth, and she’s got something to say to them,” Sebring said. On Monday, the audiences were listening.