If you've never seen Patti Smith perform live, you're missing out big time. She's hands down one of the best live performers I've ever seen. When she sings People Have The Power, it gives me goosebumps. She's so real, especially in today's world of hyperbranding and faux everything, it's humbling and exciting.

Seeing her NYE performances is an amazing way to spend a night. Given she plays Bowery Ballroom, it's a pretty intimate show, although not quite as intimate as her performance last night at the new Costume National store in SOHO.

In honor of the store opening and to celebrate the success Dream Of Life, the Steven Sebring biopic on the iconic singer, Smith played a 4 song set to close Fashion Week for a small audience of press, celebrities, and other insiders.

If you haven't seen the film, which I highly recommend, and you're in New York, you're SOL. After running for more than 6 weeks at Film Forum, it finally closed on 09.11.08, a perfect fit for the politically-charged singer. Check here for upcoming dates in cities around the country and world.

Smith urged those in attendance -- as I'm now urging you -- to go to her site if they're not sure if they're registed to vote. She has a link on her "news" page to VotePoke, which will check for you.

In case you're wondering, I just checked and the tickets for Smith's 2009 NYE performances aren't available yet and a performance scheduled for 11.01.08 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is SOLD OUT!!

Don't forget to checkout the gorgeous, new pic of Smith by Jean Baptiste Mondino on her homepage.