‘SHE IS THE VOICE OF OUR SHARED CONSCIENCE AND THE HEART OF THIS CITY’ The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, Reportedly Declared, Before The Legendary Night In N.y.c. Saw A Tearful, Powerful Surge Of Celebrity Reverence As Actor Johnny Depp Unexpectedly Picked Up A Guitar To Join Springsteen And A Coalition Of Rock Giants On Stage, Delivering A ‘Spontaneous, Soul-stirring Tribute’ That Celebrated The Life And Enduring Impact Of The Incomparable Patti Smith….

The group performed in a tribute concert for Patti Smith at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Wednesday, March 26

Jen Juneau is a News and Movies Staff Writer at PEOPLE. She started at the brand in 2016 and has more than 15 years’ professional writing experience.

From: Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Depp, Michael Stipe and Patti Smith perform during “People Have the Power: A Celebration of Patti Smith” at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 26, 2025.Credit : Taylor Hill / Getty

Johnny Depp performed during the “People Have the Power: A Celebration of Patti Smith” tribute concert in New York City on March 26
He also participated in a rehearsal at nearby City Winery in the Big Apple, as seen in a video shared by photographer Lynn Goldsmith
Depp was joined onstage during the main event by Smith herself, as well as Bruce Springsteen, REM frontman Michael Stipe and more

Patti Smith was honored in a big way at Carnegie Hall.

Johnny Depp, Bruce Springsteen and REM frontman Michael Stipe were among the musicians who performed onstage at the famous New York City venue during a tribute concert titled “People Have the Power: A Celebration of Patti Smith,” held the night of Wednesday, March 26.

The show — which lasted for two and a half hours, according to Rolling Stone — also saw Smith, 78, with Depp, 61, Springsteen, 75, and Stipe, 65, onstage at one point as part of a larger group, who all sang and performed her 1988 hit “People Have the Power.”

According to the event’s official website, other performers scheduled to appear during the evening included Ben Harper, Glen Hansard, Sean Penn, Scarlett Johansson, Flea and more.

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From L: Maggie Rogers, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Depp, Michael Stipe and Patti Smith perform during “People Have the Power: A Celebration of Patti Smith” at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 26, 2025.Taylor Hill / Getty
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Harper, 55, and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, 62, were also among those captured at a rehearsal and show held inside N.Y.C.’s City Winery, as seen in snaps shared by photographer Lynn Goldsmith, a longtime friend of Smith’s, in a joint Instagram post with the venue.

The final photo in her carousel showed Depp at the edge of the stage, crouching down to kiss Smith’s hand as she took in the rehearsal from near the front of the stage.

Another video, jointly posted by Goldsmith, 77, and Depp, showed the Pirates of the Caribbean star rehearsing alongside several others onstage at City Winery while Smith looked on in admiration, her hands over her mouth.

“There will be plenty of postings coming with the days here spent celebrating Patti … this one speaks for itself,” Goldsmith’s caption read.

Among the songs Depp took part in during the concert was “Dancing Barefoot,” which he performed with The Kills’ Alison Mosshart — and which he previously performed with Smith and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder nearly 15 years ago.

Depp’s participation in the event comes two months after he toured an exhibition at the London-based auction house Christie’s before its sale, which featured instruments that were owned by his late friend Jeff Beck.

In a video shared by Depp, set to a song the actor-musician and Beck released together titled “Midnight Walker” from their 2022 album 18, Depp examined dozens of guitars and other instruments that belonged to his late friend. The footage also included moments the two friends and musicians shared together on stage and in the recording studio in recent years.

“Walking through the history of Jeff’s life. He was the world’s greatest, most influential guitarist who just happened to become my beloved friend,” Depp wrote in a caption to his post, which he signed as, “JD X.”

Back in June 2024, Depp took part in a performance at the Gibson Garage in London to honor Beck on what would have been his 80th birthday with musicians Jimmy Page, Chris Robinson, Billy Gibbons, Graham Coxon and Sandra Beck, the late Beck’s wife.