Joni Mitchell: Classic or Dud

Talking to Cary.

https://www.newstatesman.com/katemossmaninterview/2021/12/joni-mitchell-carey-california-blue-lyrics-cary-raditz-interview

The Last Time I Saw Richeard.

CLASSIC: https://jonimitchell.com/news/newsitem.cfm?id=1592

I think the Spotify fallout warrants its own thread

I wonder where Joe Rogan stands on Morgellon’s

Would it mess up Acts that are not on Spotify ?

Yeah, someone start fresh

Sam Stone interviews Patrick Milligan on Vol. 2 of the archive series: https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=5126

Vol. 3 will apparently cover 1972-1975.

Cant wait for that volume

Joined by Brandi Carlile, Marcus Mumford and other artists, Mitchell played guitar, told stories, and sang a dozen songs in a surprise Newport headlining performance.

“I just realized, Joni’s the least nervous person up here,” exclaimed Brandi Carlile halfway through a historic Newport Folk Festival set that paid tribute to Joni Mitchell, in her first full set-length concert appearance in two decades.

Over 13 songs, Mitchell, who last appeared at the festival 53 years ago, in 1969, held court as a star-studded crew of musicians (Carlile, Blake Mills, Lucius, Wynonna, Celisse, Taylor Goldsmith, Marcus Mumford, and many more) sat around on couches on-stage playing a mix of her favorite oldies (The Persuasions’ “Why Do Fools Fall in Love,” The Clovers’ “Love Potion No. 9” as well as an array of Mitchell masterpieces.

Sitting in a throne, Mitchell began the set by occasionally singing along to her own songs, accompanied by vocalists like Carlile, (“Carey”) Goldsmith, (1991’s “Come In From The Cold”) and Celisse (“Help Me”). But by the end of the hour-plus performance, the 78 year-old singer who only recently sang on stage for the first time in nearly a decade had stood up, played a lengthy guitar solo (“Just Like This Train”) and sang a moving baritone lead vocal on Gershwin’s “Summertime'” as well as tear-jerking takes on “Both Sides Now” and “Circle Game.”

The premise: Recreating the recently infamous “Joni Jams,” the informal A-list gatherings of musicians at Mitchell’s Los Angeles home in recent years, where everyone from Carlile to Elton John to Herbie Hancock to Bonnie Raitt gather around Mitchell and trade songs and stories in the years following Mitchell’s aneurysm. ”No one brings folk singers together like the humility of trying out a new song in front of Joni fucking Mitchell,” as Carlile, who curated and organized the entire set, explained in the introduction to the performance.

At the end of the set, Carlile pronounced the night’s eternal important: “Joni Mitchell,” she proclaimed, “has returned.”

(Fellow more or less retiree Paul Simon apparently also popped up to play at the Fest with, um, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats.)

holy shit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aqGjaFDTxQ

also burning jealousy at Mills getting to lead on "Amelia" which is probably my favourite of all

sorry you had to work with Mumford Joni, be well

goddamn joni you make me cry in the office

such an absolute wonder of songwriting I can't fathom how it was written by a 22 year old

it only grows

Truly stunning

“Both Sides Now” just made me bawl like a baby. Such a beautiful performance.

It made me think to myself, you know, one day she'll be gone and I'll probably never get over it.

Annoyingly "twee" hippy songstress with a piercing warble that could make dogs' heads explode.

This could be the single worst take I've read in my (admittedly, relatively short) time here.

Incredible. So happy to see and hear her again.

she sounds fantastic

idk if she'll ever be able to perform a full concert again, let alone go on tour, but i'm incredibly glad that this happened

xxp olde ILM is full of takes like that, it's quite the contrarian time capsule

Damn, i cried. Welcome back.

Beautiful. My cousins were there and said everyone was crying when they did Circle Game.

My only misgiving is that she's gone on for twenty five years or so about how she wants to be finished with music, that only painting satisfies her now. So is someone pushing her to get back on the stage? Or is it that she was only fed up with the business of music?

wynona "im not going to make it..." otm

how dare someone change their mind over time

xp

I just hope it doesn't become a Bruce Willis situation, that's all.

Did I miss something - is there indication that this is more than a one-off?

it's her laughing at the end for me

These videos made have me so emotional. I never thought we'd see her performing on stage again after her aneurysm, given the fact that she almost died and lost the ability to walk and speak for a while.

(Apparently she had to re-learn playing guitar using YouTube tutorials.)

Amazing to hear her sing her classics with the other musicians - but she also sounds so good solo in "Summertime":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwN0dtTYcvs

I'm not crying, you're crying.

I read all the crying comments and scoffed, then watched it and cried - should've known better with Joni.

yeah likewise
What a legend, and what a great way to ease into a comeback. She's made any point she needed to make, but if she enjoyed it as much as it seemed, more please.

Dud

j/k

Does anyone know who the white-haired woman is sitting to Joni’s right?

The appearance altogether is holy shit, but holy shit, that first minute of "Summertime" is good - it's not just good for someone who nearly lost her ability to sing, it's just GOOD. I wish they laid off of some of the cheerleading while the number's playing because it's a little distracting and it's not like she needs it.

"Both Sides Now" is moving as hell. Similar deal though, I kind of wish they just let her sing without trying to harmonize. It's really beautiful to hear her phrasing and it kind of lacquers over it to sing along with the choruses as if it's a pop duet - this is really jazz.

Better footage / sound of BSN here -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxiluPSmAF8

That's Emmy Lou

good lord!

the woman in the white shirt? that's not Emmylou, is it?

there's a really good look at her at 2:53 of that video just posted.

Idk for sure sorry I thought it really looked like her! But I guess if she was there it would be all over the press.

Oh ok that's def not Emmy Lou

Oh ok that's def not Emmy Lou

My only misgiving is that she's gone on for twenty five years or so about how she wants to be finished with music, that only painting satisfies her now. So is someone pushing her to get back on the stage? Or is it that she was only fed up with the business of music?

― Halfway there but for you, Monday, 25 July 2022 17:36 (yesterday) link

I've seen interview footage of Joni from about 1980 where she was saying that that she goes through periods where she burns out on music and poetry and can only paint, and then she burns out on painting and returns to music and poetry. It could be that the burn-out period was just much longer this time.