The moon shines over the Hollywood Bowl and Joni Mitchell laughs.
It is the first of two sold-out Johnny Jam concerts at an outdoor venue, and their first Los Angeles concert in over 24 years. It’s been two years since Mitchell returned to the stage at the Newport Folk Festival, a year after her first concert in two decades at The George — and nearly nine years after the brain aneurysm that nearly killed her and sent her to the hospital. But for nearly three hours Saturday night, Mitchell delivered an iconic concert filled with stunning classics, thrilling deep cuts, and laughter in between.
Mitchell was surrounded by the Johnny Jam Band — Brandy Carlile, Jacob Collier, Lucius, Blake Mills, Robin Pecknold, and others — in a throne-like armchair like musical royalty. Mitchell’s set felt like it could have been plucked from an intimate hangout with nearby friends in Laurel Canyon.
For example, there was a lamp sitting on a side table next to Mitchell, with lots of other antique-looking furniture scattered around the stage. The stunning duo sat Lucious on the couch, while Brandi Carlile sat next to the music legend for most of the show, acting as a thoughtful fan and host for the evening, making sure everyone knew how special every moment was. That’s when Carlisle wasn’t singing her heart out either. (“I’m honored to be her friend because she brought me out of retirement,” Mitchell said later in the night.)
After adding two songs to the show, Mitchell played the title track from her classic song “Hajira.” “I don’t want to scare anyone, but you just heard Joni Mitchell sing ‘Hajira,'” Carlisle said as she and Mitchell laughed to applause from the audience.
“Johnny, look at this crowd,” Carlisle said.
Mitchell launched into “Cherokee Louise,” then came “Coyote,” a stunning Sam Shepard-inspired riff that opened the classic 1976 LP and was featured in the band’s farewell show documentary The Last Waltz. “Don’t regret it, wolf,” Mitchell sang, with the Bowl stage cast in warm orange and glowing bulbs behind the band.
“Are you ready for a solo?” Carlisle quickly asked the fans, later assuring them they knew. Of course they did. With more laughter and cheers, Johnny and the jam proceeded to play the upbeat instrumental “Carrie” from their 1971 masterpiece Blue.
Next, Mitchell gave the first live performance of “Sire of Sorrow,” the closing track from Mitchell’s 1994 release Turbulent Indigo. “This is the first time I’ve played this song before because I’ve never had background singers before,” Mitchell said with a laugh. This is the story of Job – “Job’s sad song.”
“She was worried it would make you feel sad, so she asked us to follow up with the next story,” Carlisle said. Mitchell and Johnny Jam dug deep into the trunk — going back to a 1979 Mingus hit — for the next tune, “God Must Be a Boogey Man,” followed by a series of treasures from the singer-songwriter’s subsequent catalog, from “Sunny Sunday” to “Sunny Sunday.” . “If I had a heart.”
“What do you think,” said Carlisle, “should we arrest them again, Chief, before we turn around?”
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The stage lights dim, and it’s time for “Both Sides Now.” “But now old friends are acting weird / Shaking their heads and telling me, ‘Johnny I’ve changed / Well, something’s lost, but something’s gained, in living every day'” Mitchell sang, laughing as the crowd roared and the song swelled into the overwhelming emotional chorus of one of the most… The legend’s beloved songs – to close out the first set of the night.
Half an hour later, the stage spun again, revealing Mitchell still sitting in her chair in the middle of the revolving floor. Mitchell and Johnny Jam – now joined by Taylor Goldsmith, Wendi Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Marcus Mumford, Celes, Annie Lennox (who later joined Mitchell for a powerful rendition of “Ladies of the Canyon”), Allison Russell, Rita Wilson, and Jon Batiste – He danced with “Big Yellow Taxi”. Related to
After the song, Carlisle explained that the crew started jamming about five-and-a-half to six years ago “sitting in Joni’s living room, and she wasn’t used to singing with us — we would just sing her songs to her, which was bloody terrifying.” Carlisle laughed, before asking who… Mumford joins Mitchell on the next tune: an emotional, electric guitar-backed rendition of Blue’s favorite, “California.”
The second half moved along with “Magdalene Laundries,” “Ladies of the Canyon” featuring Lennox, “Come in From the Cold,” and Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s “I’m Still Standing” (the version with Mitchell song). Rewriting the lyrics of course) and the slow standard “Summertime”.
“I just sang that, Johnny,” Carlisle said after Mitchell played “Summertime.” “She knows too.”
After performing “Come in From the Cold,” Carlile delivered a warning: “Johnny’s about to destroy us now, guys,” the songwriter told the crowd. Collier sat down at the piano and Mitchell began singing “A Case of You” in her high, smooth voice. Silence fell over the bowl, as the crowd clung to every lyric and note of one of the most poignant, spiritual moments of the night.
Later in the set, Mitchell performed “Dog Eat Dog” from the 1980s album of the same name, referring to Donald Trump after the “big financiers” lyrics.
“Everyone get out and vote, this is important,” Mitchell told the crowd. She added jokingly: “I wish I could vote, I’m Canadian, and one of those lousy immigrants.” “Well, you just got about 17,000 people to vote, so I’d say you did your part,” Carlisle replied.
After playing “If,” the closing track to her 2007 hit Shine, along with Hejira’s standout “Amelia,” Mitchell and the band performed “Shine.”
“It was beautiful,” Mitchell said of everyone who turned up their phone lights during “Shine On.”
“For you, you’re beautiful,” Mitchell later told The Bowl, holding up a glass of white wine.
The show could have stopped there, but there was still one final song left. Around 10:30 p.m., the first night of Joni Jam ended with a group singing “The Circle Game.”
“Thank you very much, we had a lot of fun,” Mitchell told the crowd afterward. Carlile and the entirety of Johnny Jam rose to their feet to applaud the music icon who was sitting center stage while laughing into the microphone. “Thank you,” Mitchell said from her seat.
And then Johnny stood up.
The crowd went wild, and she remained on her feet, to a standing ovation for this musical heroine from many fans around the world, but especially tonight at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
They chanted, “Ju-ni, ju-ni, ju-ni.”
“Ju-ni, ju-ni, ju-ni, ju-ni, ju-ni, ju-ni, ju-ni.
“Ju-ni, ju-ni, ju-ni, ju-ni, ju-ni, ju-ni, ju-ni, ju-ni, ju-ni.” Trending
Johnny.
Set List (First Night)
One set
“Be calm”
“Harlem in Havana”
“Immigration”
“Cherokee Louise”
“wolf”
“curry”
“Master of Sadness”
“God must be a boujee man”
“Sunny Sunday”
“If I had a heart”
“Shelter of the Roads”
“Night trip home”
“Both sides now”
Set two
“Big Yellow Taxi”
“I grew up stealing”
“California”
“Magdalene Laundries”
“Ladies of the Valley”
“Summertime”
“Come in from the cold”
“A case of you.”
“I’m still standing”
“Dog eats dog.”
“Amelia”
“if”
“shines”
“Circle Game”