Joni Mitchell to play first headline concert in 23 years

The singer will perform at Washington’s Gorge Amphitheatre next June after recoveing from a brain aneurysm in 2015.

Joni Mitchell is scheduled to perform at her first headline concert in 23 years.

The singer will take the stage at Washington’s Gorge Amphitheatre on 10 June 2023, news that was initially revealed by Brandi Carlile on The Daily Show before official confirmation later. Carlile will also perform a headline set at the same venue, the night before. She called it “one of the most beautiful venues in the world”.

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The two-night event is called Echoes through the Canyon and is known as Joni Jam II. The first official Joni Jam took place when the singer made an unannounced appearance as part of the Newport folk festival alongside Carlile, who claimed that Mitchell said to her “I want to do another show … I want to play again” after it ended. Other Joni Jams have been sessions at Mitchell’s house.

“Joni Mitchell is going to play,” Carlile told Trevor Noah. “No one’s been able to buy a ticket to see Joni Mitchell play in 20 years … So this is enormous … and she is going to crush it!”

Mitchell’s last official headline shows were part of 2000’s Both Sides Now tour.

In 2015, Mitchell suffered a brain aneurysm which affected her ability to speak and walk. “I got my speech back quickly, but the walking I’m still struggling with,” she said to Cameron Crowe in 2020. “But I mean, I’m a fighter. I’ve got Irish blood!” After accepting her Kennedy Center Honor in 2021, she added: “I’ve had to come back several times from things. And this last one was a real whopper. But, you know, I’m hobbling along but I’m doing all right!”

She also attended the Grammy awards in April. She was named person of the year by the academy’s affiliated charity MusiCares and won best historical album for her retrospective, Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol 1: The Early Years (1963-1967).

Earlier this year, Mitchell joined Neil Young in protesting Spotify over anti-vax content, asking the platform to remove her albums. “Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives,” she said in a statement.

Source: theguardian.com