Punk rocker Patti Smith treated the Dalai Lama to an early 80th birthday poem on Thursday (05Mar15) as she performed at the annual Tibet House Benefit Concert in New York City.

The singer joined Debbie Harry and The Flaming Lips on the bill for the event's 25th anniversary at Carnegie Hall, where experimental artist Laurie Anderson, rapper/singer Dev Hynes and country star Sturgill Simpson also took the stage.

Smith, who is a regular at the Tibet House gigs, designed to preserve Tibetan culture, started her mini-set with a birthday poem in honour of the Buddhist spiritual leader, who will celebrate his age milestone in July (15).

She then joined forces with her daughter Jesse Paris Smith, who played the piano for the rocker's Gandhi tune, as she and her band spread positive energy throughout the concert hall, reports Billboard.com.

Miley Cyrus also made an unexpected appearance onstage towards the end of the show, as The Flaming Lips' frontman Wayne Coyne brought her out to join Smith for a rousing rendition of her hit People Have The Power.