Joni Mitchell, 78, graces stage after nearly 2 decades away
Associated Press
Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Joni Mitchell arrives at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 3, 2022, in Las Vegas.
NEWPORT, RI (AP) — Surprise! Joni Mitchell is back onstage.
The folk legend performed her first full-length concert on Sunday at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island, The Boston Globe reported. Mitchell has contended with health complications since suffering an aneurysm in 2015, and her last full show was in late 2002, according to reports.
Keep scrolling for a collection of photos of Joni Mitchell through the years
Seated in a wingback chair and wearing a blue beret and sunglasses, Mitchell joined festival headliner Brandi Carlile and a bevy of other artists, including Wynonna Judd, Allison Russell and Marcus Mumford. It was Mitchell’s first Newport festival performance since 1969.
This was, Carlile explained, a recreation of the “Joni Jam” musical gatherings that have brought famous friends like Elton John to Mitchell’s Los Angeles home in recent years.
And Mitchell wasn’t there to just to sing. Halfway through the 13-song set, she played an electric guitar solo, which was her first time playing guitar in public since her aneurysm, Carlile said.
The ensemble played Mitchell’s most familiar songs (“Circle Game,” “Big Yellow Taxi”) and a few of her favorites (“Love Potion No. 9,” “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”).
After their rendition of “Both Sides Now,” Carlile was fighting back tears. Addressing the audience, she asked: “Did the world just stop?”
Joni Mitchell joining Neil Young in protest over Spotify
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Musicians Roger McGuinn, Joni Mitchell, Richi Havens, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan perform the finale of the The Rolling Thunder Revue, a tour headed by Dylan, in Dec. 1975. (AP Photo)
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Musicians Roger McGuinn, Joni Mitchell, Richi Havens, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan perform the finale of the The Rolling Thunder Revue, a tour headed by Dylan, in Dec. 1975. (AP Photo)
Joni Mitchell joining Neil Young in protest over Spotify
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Singer Joni Mitchell pauses during an interview in Toronto, May 2, 1988. After a 20-year career, Mitchell's latest album, "Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm," shows the Canadian singer's evolution into a tougher, more issue-oriented chronicler of the era. (AP Photo)
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Singer Joni Mitchell pauses during an interview in Toronto, May 2, 1988. After a 20-year career, Mitchell's latest album, "Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm," shows the Canadian singer's evolution into a tougher, more issue-oriented chronicler of the era. (AP Photo)
Joni Mitchell joining Neil Young in protest over Spotify
AP file
In this Dec. 6, 1995 file photo, singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell poses with the Century Award at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Nadel, File)
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In this Dec. 6, 1995 file photo, singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell poses with the Century Award at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Nadel, File)
Joni Mitchell joining Neil Young in protest over Spotify
AP file
Folk-rocking musician Joni Mitchell, Canada, at a news conference in Stockholm, Sweden, May 7, 1996, the day prior to receiving the yearly Polar Music Prize. (AP Photo/Soren Andersson)
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Folk-rocking musician Joni Mitchell, Canada, at a news conference in Stockholm, Sweden, May 7, 1996, the day prior to receiving the yearly Polar Music Prize. (AP Photo/Soren Andersson)
Joni Mitchell joining Neil Young in protest over Spotify
AP file
Singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell acknowledges applause at the beginning of Turner Network Television's "All-Star Tribute to Joni Mitchell," Thursday, April 6, 2000, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett)
AP file
Singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell acknowledges applause at the beginning of Turner Network Television's "All-Star Tribute to Joni Mitchell," Thursday, April 6, 2000, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett)
Joni Mitchell joining Neil Young in protest over Spotify
AP file
Joni Mitchell, left, and Wayne Shorter, right, perform during an all-star tribute concert for Herbie Hancock, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rene Macura)
AP file
Joni Mitchell, left, and Wayne Shorter, right, perform during an all-star tribute concert for Herbie Hancock, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rene Macura)
Joni Mitchell joining Neil Young in protest over Spotify
AP file
Joni Mitchell presented with a birthday cake on stage at JONI 75: A Birthday Celebration on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
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Joni Mitchell presented with a birthday cake on stage at JONI 75: A Birthday Celebration on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Joni Mitchell joining Neil Young in protest over Spotify
AP file
2021 Kennedy Center honoree singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell poses on the red carpet at the Medallion Ceremony for the 44th Annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Library of Congress, on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
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2021 Kennedy Center honoree singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell poses on the red carpet at the Medallion Ceremony for the 44th Annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Library of Congress, on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Joni Mitchell joining Neil Young in protest over Spotify
AP file
Folk music legend Joni Mitchell arrives at the 44th Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. The 2021 Kennedy Center honorees include Mitchell, Motown Records creator Berry Gordy, "Saturday Night Live" mastermind Lorne Michaels, actress-singer Bette Midler, and opera singer Justino Diaz. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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Folk music legend Joni Mitchell arrives at the 44th Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. The 2021 Kennedy Center honorees include Mitchell, Motown Records creator Berry Gordy, "Saturday Night Live" mastermind Lorne Michaels, actress-singer Bette Midler, and opera singer Justino Diaz. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Joni Mitchell joining Neil Young in protest over Spotify
AP file
Folk music legend Joni Mitchell visits with President Joe Biden during the Kennedy Center Honorees Reception at the White House in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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Folk music legend Joni Mitchell visits with President Joe Biden during the Kennedy Center Honorees Reception at the White House in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
