Patti Smith

If you see music regularly in New York, odds are good that you've caught Patti Smith—and odds are also high that you've walked home impressed. Fresh off her National Book Award victory for her memoir, Just Kids, the punk doyenne has not traded denim for tweed, and remains as fiery and abrasive a performer as ever. (Mind the spit!) Note that although the show is free, it requires tickets, which will be released at 5pm.