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Joni Mitchell stuns fans with first full live performance since 2002-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro
Incredible!
Joni Mitchell stunned fans with her first full live show in two decades (Picture: Carlin Stiehl for The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Joni Mitchell delighted fans at Newport Folk festival with her first full live performance in 20 years.
Over the weekend, the 78-year-old legend joined her friend and country musician Brandi Carlile for a special 13-song set at Fort Adams State Park.
The pair belted out classic tracks including Big Yellow Taxi, A Case of You and Both Sides Now, which featured in Oscar-winning movie Coda.
The gig marked her first full live show since a performance at the Wiltern in Los Angeles on November 13, 2002.
Meanwhile, she hadn’t appeared at the festival itself since 1969, when she was part of a lineup featuring the likes of the Everly Brothers and Arlo Guthrie.
They were joined by an all-star cast, with Marcus Mumford, Wynonna Judd, Blake Mills, Jess Wolfe and Lucius’ Holly Laesigg, as well as Mitchell’s own bandmates Phil and Tim Hansweroth and Celisse Henderson.
Joni Mitchell was back on stage at Newport Folk festival (Picture: Douglas Mason/Getty Images)
The lineup was essentially a live take on her private Joni Jam nights which she has hosting at her LA home with the likes of Sir Elton John, Herbie Hancock and Bonnie Raitt taking part in recent years.
Carlile – who has previously covered Mitchell’s 1971 album Blue in full – joked: ‘I just realised, Joni’s the least nervous person up here.’
She was joined by an all-star cast (Picture: Douglas Mason/Getty Images)
Joni took up the guitar during the show (Picture: Sachyn Mital/REX/Shutterstock)
Not just limiting their set to Mitchell tracks, the super group also performed Greshwin’s Summertime, Leiber and Stoller’s Love Potion No 9, and Frankie Lymon’s Why Do Fools Fall In Love.
‘I’m not crying. You’re crying,’ wrote one fan, while another tweeted: ‘Wow! That was really something special. Beautiful for sure.’
And a different fan added: ‘Would love to have been in that room. Magic.’
Mitchell suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015, and has slowly eased her way back into public life.
She attended a tribute concert for her 75th birthday in 2018, and even took to the stage to blow out her candles as other musicians belted out Big Yellow Taxi.
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