Joni Mitchell made a glorious return to stage at first headline show in two decades

On Saturday, June 10th, for the first time in over 20 years, Joni Mitchell returned to the stage for her first official ticketed headline concert. The concert comes nearly a year after her surprise appearance at the Newport Folk Festival.

Lasting almost three hours, Saturday’s Joni Jam was held at Washington’s Gorge Amphitheatre, where guest performers Annie Lennox, Blake Mills, Lucius, Sarah McLachlan, Marcus Mumford, Celisse, and Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes- to name a few- also performed.

Opening the show was Brandi Carlile, who went on to perform with Mitchell, and also took on the role of host and emcee for the night. Reports by The Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone detailed how hits like ‘Big Yellow Taxi,’ ‘Night Ride Home,’ ‘Raised on Robbery,’ ‘Sex Kills,’ ‘A Case of You,’ ‘Both Sides Now’, were among the well-known songs performed.

According to The Los Angeles Times, the 79-year-old covered the standards like ‘Summertime’ from Porgy and Bess, ‘Love Potion No. 9,’ Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers’ ‘Why Do Fools Fall in Love?,’ whilst her guest performers tackled some of Mitchell’s biggest songs.

Lennox took lead vocal on 1970’s ‘Ladies of the Canyon,’ McLachlan sang ‘Blue,’ and Mumford performed ‘California’, with the help of Blake Mills and backing vocals via Lucius.

Following her performance at Newport Folk Festival, the singer-songwriter was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Berklee College of Music a month later.

Erica Muhl, Berkeley’s president described the 79-year-old singer as “a force for change in the industry, blazing the trail for women in music with an unwavering commitment to achieving the status rightfully due her as one of the world’s great musical artists.”

In an emotional acceptance speech, Mitchell said: “I wish my parents were alive. My mother in particular would be really proud of this because she wanted me to go to college. I went to art school and I quit after a year. She thinks of me as a quitter. So to see this achievement would be really impressive to her. I wish I could share it with her.”

Fans are eagerly awaiting the esteemed artist’s live album, Joni Mitchell at Newport, out July 28th.

Stream Joni's 2022 release, Stars To Read (Live 1995) below.