I have to politely disagree with my PG colleague Tony Norman about the dancers at the Patti Smith show. (That line made me laugh, because it sounds like Patti Smith had backup dancers.)

During the first song, a handful of people decided to leave their seats and stand in the open space in front of the stage at the Carnegie Library Music Hall of Homestead. (Apparently, concert-goers also abhor a vacuum.)

As Tony wrote, "Aging hipsters, nostalgia mongers and people who couldn't even dance well to begin with ought to be more considerate at rock 'n' roll shows. Punk priestess Patti Smith's otherwise perfect concert at the Carnegie Library of Homestead this week was nearly ruined by narcissists and chubby goths who danced like idiots in front of the stage for most of the evening. Who pays $25 a ticket to see someone's undulating buttocks all night?"

There's no doubt it was annoying to and inconsiderate of the people who got their tickets right away and ended up in the front few rows.

But what those dancers ended up doing was bringing some early tension and energy to the show. Smith was clearly amused by them, and less amused by the security's early effort to clear them out.

The dancers probably should have waited until midway through the set to make their move, but there they were, and their awkward presence there shook things up a bit.

They made certain that it wouldn't be the kind of show where everyone sat on their hands. Little by little, they were joined by more and more people, cuing everyone to get up.

And that's when the show really kicked in, with "Gimme Shelter," and it held that energy mostly till the end.

It's nice having that open space in front for a little action. It's an improvement on the more static situation at the Byham.

Go 'head and dance.

First Published: August 3, 2007, 7:00 p.m.