What happened to Patti Smith? Veteran singer apologises for show cancellation after collapsing onstage

Patti Smith recently collapsed on stage during a performance at the Teatro Cultura Artistica in Sao Paolo, Brazil on January 29, 2025. The singer had been experiencing migraines over the past few days and collapsed due to post migraine dizziness.

Smith came back on stage to apologize to the crowd, stating:

"Unfortunately, I got sick, and the doctor said I can’t finish. So we will have to figure something out. And I fell very badly."

In an Instagram post on January 30, 2025, the singer further clarified the incident, countering what she alleged to be an exaggeration of the events being spread by social media and the press:

"This is letting everyone know that I am fine. A grossly exaggerated account is being spread by the press and social media. I had some post migraine dizziness. Had a small incident, left the stage, and returned 10 minutes later and talked to the people, told them I was fine and sang them Wing and Because the night."

The singer continued:

"I was checked out by an excellent Doctor and was absolutely fine. Please do not accept any other story . With all the strife in the world, this explainable incident does not merit so much attention. Thank you everyone for your concern. Trust me I am fine."

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Patti Smith was performing with the Soundwalk Collective in Brazil

Patti Smith was performing at the venue alongside the Soundwalk Collective as part of the collaboration that is known as CORRESPONDENCES. The performances in Brazil were supposed to be a two day presentation of the project.

The project is also being presented at the Kurimanzutto gallery in Manhattan, New York City, till February 22, 2025. The presentation at the gallery started on January 16, 2025.

Patti Smith has been collaborating with the Soundwalk Collective for a while now. The singer talked about her work with Soundwalk Collective in an exclusive interview with Purple Magazine on their The Magic Issue #42 F/W 2024:

It really is, and I had never thought about equating love with this. It’s not that I negated it — I just didn’t think about it. But there is an aspect of love that makes these things possible. What we did with Correspondences at BAM was six or seven pieces that are monologues, developed and improvised in the studio, -

Smith added:

"-but I was entering into these characters, as you said. I’m entering into the world of each song, from one phase of existence to another. Each time we do it, I have a bit of trepidation because it’s still the “unknown.” Yes, exactly. And it’s also where you have to be open and trust your channeling power."

The collaboration's center pieces are eight short films based around field recordings from landscapes around the world, which is then mixed in with Patti Smith's poetic contributions to create the film, with sonic imagery dictating the visual landscape.

The pieces are a critical window into the interstitial space of artistic creation in the backdrop of natural and human history. The eight films of the project are titled as Pasolini

Medea

Children of Chernobyl

The Acolyte, the Artist and Nature

Cry of the Lost

Prince of Anarchy

Mass Extinction 1946-2024

Burning 1946-2024

Each film reflects on the topic provided in the title.