Joni Mitchell was a soprano. Now she's a tenor at the age of 80. Yes, her voice has changed. It's deeper and richer, filled with character, beauty, and wisdom. Her voice is like old roots from an ancient Live Oak, deep and long, bearing years of struggle and pain with many stories to tell. On stage at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA, she filled the venue and the mountains beyond with that very voice and made 17,000 fans swoon together. It was a night and a concert I will never forget.
On October 19, 2024, the first night of two at The Hollywood Bowl, Joni Mitchell performed 27 songs from her extensive catalog with many special guests and friends. One of those friends was Brandi Carlile who has been a huge supporter of Joni and has been instrumental in getting the famous recluse back into the public eye. She and the many who joined Joni on stage call themselves "The Joni Jam". They provided the instruments and voices to support her singing and her songs. But Joni held her own throughout the show. Seated in her comfortable chair with her cane to keep the beat and a microphone in front, she commanded the stage as the true artist she is. Her artistry shone through every moment be it her taking the lower parts of harmony lines, the clever banter between songs, her contagious laugh, the very flow and momentum of each song, and the reinterpretation of many classics and the deep and obscurer cuts.
The stage rotated to reveal Joni and The Joni Jam and the crowd went wild with applause. "Be Cool" was the first song of the night from the 1982 album Wild Things Run Fast. The crowd quieted down for each song thereafter. The more familiar "Coyote" was the fourth song and the Hejira fans were delighted. Then came "Carey" from the Blue album and everybody joyfully sang along. Brandi Carlile sang the high notes backed by the duo of Lucius. Longtime collaborator of Joni's music Mark Isham provided clarinet and trumpet. Blake Mills was the music director. Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes played guitar as did Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes. Also, on background vocals was Allison Russell, actress Rita Wilson, and guitarist Celisse. On piano was the brilliant Jacob Collier who blew my mind with his gorgeous solos. After intermission, the band was joined by Jon Batiste who rocked the house on keys during "Raised on Robbery" from the Court and Spark album. Marcus Mumford did a duet with Joni on "California" and proceeded to play percussion throughout the night. Then Annie Lennox of Eurythmics fame performed "Ladies of The Canyon" which thrilled this 80's kid's heart!
Other highlights included "Both Sides Now", "Case of You", and "Circle Game" for the finale. Yes, I cried during those songs, full of emotion and memories and moved by the fact that I was listening to them live when I never in a million years thought I'd get the opportunity. But I did and it was worth everything it took to get here. See your heroes while you can.
Here's a few pics from the evening, a Spotify playlist of the original songs in order of appearance, and a couple of videos taken from Youtube for your enjoyment. Thanks for letting me share this once in a lifetime experience!
