Those in attendance at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island yesterday were the luckiest people on the face of the Earth.
The closing act was billed as Brandi Carlile and Friends. But one Carlile's friends was none other than Joni Mitchell and to the shock and delight of those assembled Mitchell performed her first full length concert in over 20 years.
Nobody (and I mean nobody outside of Brandi Carlile) had Joni Mitchell performing live on their 2022 bingo card. After all, Mitchell nearly died in 2015 of a brain aneurysm. While she has made public appearances in recent years there was never an expectation that she would perform much less headline the Newport Folk Festival.
Mitchell, now 78, not only sang "Both Sides Now" and "The Circle Game" with a voice which now resembles the late Nina Simone, but also managed a guitar solo on "Just Like This Train". Needless to say, everyone on stage with Mitchell was visibly moved. No one more so that Wynona Judd who fought back tears. It has been less than three months since her mother Naomi took her own life. No doubt Judd has admired Mitchell as much as Carlile and many other musical peers but seeing someone her mother's age perform who was never expected to perform may have helped serve as a cathartic and healing experience.
Seeing and hearing this gives me hope for Jean Millington of Fanny. While Millington did sing with Fanny last August at the Los Angeles premiere of Fanny: The Right to Rock, she has been unable to play bass since her stroke in 2018. But wonders never cease.
As for Joni Mitchell, was this a one off performance? If it was then it was one hell of a send off. Perhaps though this might have set off a spark. Now I don't envision a world tour. But I could see perhaps a dozen concerts in North America and perhaps a show in London spread out over several months and likely with Carlile and company in tow. And believe me people would be willing to pay a lot more than a dollar and a half to see her. Myself included.
Whatever happens, Joni Mitchell's surprise performance was the most electric thing to happen at the Newport Folk Festival since Bob Dylan went electric. Those currents are sending off positive energy which hopefully won't dissipate anytime soon.
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