If the first inclination, when Monday morning arrives, is already to have a good cry, then new images of Joni Mitchell giving a rare performance is escalating things to a full-blown sob.
the legendary performer made a surprise return to the stage, performing at the Newport Folk Festival on Sunday, his first concert since suffering a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 2015. The appearance was a big deal. It was Mitchell’s first complete set in two decades, along with Brandy Carlile and a choir of musicians that included wynonna juddTaylor Goldsmith and marcus mumford—and his first time on the Newport stage in 53 years.
Videos from Mitchell’s set leaked over the weekend, but one that went viral on Monday sparked a collective emotional meltdown on the internet: The 78-year-old sang lead vocals on a soulful rendition of “Both Sides Now.”
The set was meant to invoke “Joni Jams,” the star-studded hangouts Mitchell had been hosting at his home since his aneurysm, where artists like Carlile, who had the idea to bring the session to Newport, sit down. with Mitchell, exchanging stories and songs. As he regained his strength and his voice from him, Mitchell performing live again seemed like a real possibility. The stage was set up with two throne-like chairs, Carlile in one and Mitchell, with his pigtails, sunglasses and a beret, in the other. Orbiting them was the stellar lineup of musicians who would provide occasional backing vocals or backing vocals.
This has been a year of victories for Mitchell: She was selected for the Kennedy Center Honors in December and was named MusiCares Person of the Year at the Grammys in April. Mitchell warmly received the well-deserved end-of-career adulation from her. But getting on stage and singing so passionately again, even playing guitar on one song, was a surprise that nearly melted anyone who clicked play the video and turned into a puddle of tears.
“Both Sides Now,” with its painful lyrics and soulful string arrangement, is an emotional song for any day. But Mitchell performing it with such enthusiasm, a combination of fragility and strength that couldn’t be better suited to the song, revealing how subtly it still evolves, added weight insurmountable.
At various points during the performance, Carlile is visibly overwhelmed, as if he doesn’t believe this special moment is happening. Behind Mitchell, Judd begins to cry, at which point anyone watching is sure to miss out. judd recently lost her mother, Naomi. When she reached for the sky at the end of the performance, it was all over; I think I let out an involuntary scream, it was very touching.
Suffice to say, people online turned to social media for emotional support after watching the video:
There’s something wonderful about the shared knowledge that this song means so much to so many people, and the collective understanding of how deep and beautiful this moment was, and that now we can all share that as well.
Yes, from the moment Mitchell started singing, he was lost. Yeah, when Judd starts crying in the background, he moved me beyond belief. But the button of all this is the exuberant, almost ecclesiastical laugh that Mitchell lets out at the end. Not only did he give us such a wonderful gift, but he clearly had the time of his life doing it, which is another gift in itself.
There is power in seeing how the song, which has been a part of so many people’s lives for almost their entire lives, lands differently over time, both for us as listeners and for Mitchell as a performer.
Like NPR’s Linda Holmes wrote on Twitter, “This performance is a prime example of what I think a lot of people expect aging to bring: brilliance in different ways based on your evolved gifts, communion with others, feeling welcome and valued, continuing to amaze.” Then there’s that added element of Mitchell’s enthusiasm at the end, which in itself could be another lesson to be learned from the song and the performance of it. What The New York Times‘James Poniewozik wrote, “Everyone else on that stage is crying/trying to keep their composure. But Joni is radiant! We should all live our lives this well.”
In an interview with CBS News after the performance, Mitchell revealed that, even until rehearsals for the festival on Friday, she wasn’t sure she could make it. “I’ve never been nervous about being in front of an audience,” she said. “But I want it to be good. And he wasn’t sure he could be. But I didn’t sound too bad tonight!”
He also talked about what it’s been like to relearn his skills as a musician after his aneurysm, revealing how amazing it is that he’s been able to pull off this performance, especially playing guitar on stage again.
“I am learning,” she said. “I’m looking at videos online to see where I put my fingers, you know. It’s amazing what knocks out an aneurysm: how to get out of [a] chair! You don’t know how to get out of bed. You have to learn all these things by heart again. I liked water ballet when I was a kid and I forgot how to do the breaststroke. Every time I tried, I almost drowned, you know? So a lot of going back almost to childhood. You have to relearn everything.”
And if you’ve finished watching the “Both Sides Now” clip the required 13 or 14 times in a row to process it emotionally, feel free to keep the tears flowing. Here are videos of Mitchell singing”Summer time,” “circle game,” Y “A case of you” at the festival that have also been making the rounds online. happy crying