In an anthology of poems that she judges the world’s greatest, the critic Camille Paglia writes that Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock” is “possibly the most popular and influential poem composed in English since Sylvia Plath’s ‘Daddy.’” The song indeed captures the ethos of the 1960s hippie counterculture, as expressed at the legendary music festival in Bethel, New York. It’s also emblematic of Mitchell’s music making: songs that are at once narratives and pleasurable listening experiences, that combine message and meaning with harmony and rhythm. Over the last few decades, Mitchell has performed sparingly—she turns 81 this November—but the thrust of her lyrics and the vibrancy of her voice remain. For two nights this October, Mitchell performs at the open-air Hollywood Bowl, with support from the singer Brandi Carlile and the Joni Jam band. The tickets aren’t cheap—but the opportunity to see a defining poet of contemporary America is worth every penny. —Jack Sullivan