- Culture
- 15 Nov 22
The legendary Blue artist has not played a headline show in 23 years.
In an interview with Elton John on his Apple Music 1 show Rocket Hour, Joni Mitchell revealed plans for a new live album. The project will be based on the Newport Folk Festival performance from last July, which was the musicians first time on stage in over 20 years.
The 79 year old Canadian-American musician suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015, leaving her to relearn music from scratch. She told CBS news that she retaught herself to play guitar by watching videos of herself online.
Mitchell made a surprise appearance at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival to perform alongside Brandi Carlile, Wynonna Judd, Holly Lassig and Marcus Mumford. Mitchell played some of her most acclaimed songs, including 'Just Like This Train'. She explained to John why she only played the electric guitar solo, rather than singing - "I couldn't sing the key- I've become an alto, I'm not a soprano anymore so I couldn't sing the song. And I thought people might feel lighted that if I just played the guitar part, but I like the guitar part to that song. It was very well received, much to my delight."
That performance marked the iconic artist's return, as she went on to announce a headline show with Carlile at the Gorge Amphitheater next June.
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John urged Mitchell to record a studio album in her home. "One day, I want you to sit in this room like we’re doing now, but with some recording equipment...I want you to make an album in this room because it’s so magical," he said. While she did not comment on whether she'd record a new album, she did say her team is "trying to" get out a live album on her Newport Folk Festival performance.
Watch the interview below: