On Saturday (June 10), Joni Mitchell played her first official headline concert in over two decades. The almost three-hour “Joni Jam” took place in the evening at the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington, USA.
Alongside Mitchell, numerous guest musicians such as Annie Lennox, Blake Mills, Lucius, Sarah McLachlan, Marcus Mumford, Celisse, Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes and others appeared on stage.
Brandi Carlile at Joni Mitchell’s headline show
Brandi Carlile opened the show. She performed alongside Mitchell and served as the evening’s host and presenter. Mitchell and what Carlile called the “Joni Jammers” performed songs from the songwriter’s entire catalogue, including “Big Yellow Taxi”, “Night Ride Home”, “Raised on Robbery”, “Sex Kills”, “A Case of You”, “Both Sides Now” and others.
Fans have posted numerous videos from the concert on social media.
Watch videos here:
All-Star-Show: Great standards covered live
According to the LA Times concert reviews, Mitchell also covered standards like “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess, “Love Potion No. 9”, Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers with “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” and “Young at Heart”, made famous by Frank Sinatra.
All stars sing Mitchell songs
In return, a few “Joni Jammers” took over lead vocals on some of Mitchell’s most popular songs. Lennox sang “Ladies of the Canyon” from 1970, McLachlan sang “Blue” and Mumford took over “California” with backing from Blake Mills and backing vocals from Lucius.
Updates on Joni Mitchell
Mitchell most recently performed at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival. After that performance at the festival, Mitchell did an interview for CBS Mornings.
The following month she received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music. According to Pitchfork, Berklee College President Erica Muhl described her as “a force for change in the industry, pioneering the way for women in music with an unwavering commitment to achieving the status that is hers.” deserves one of the greatest music artists in the world.”
Their new live album “At Newport” documents the surprising return to the stage. The album was produced by Brandi Carlile and Mitchell and will be released on July 28th.