Joni Mitchell to perform first headline show for more than two decades

Music legend enjoyed her surprise performance at the Newport Folk Festival this summer so much she has decided to make a proper return to the stage

Joni Mitchell is set to play her first headline concert for 23 years.

The 78-year-old music legend will perform on 10 June 2023 at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington, her friend, the singer Brandi Carlile, announced on The Daily Show on Wednesday (19 October).

“I can't believe it's happening, but it's happening,” Carlile said. “And she is going to crush it.”

Earlier this year, Carlile brought Mitchell onstage with her at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island.

It marked a rare performance for Mitchell, who suffered an aneurysm in 2015 and hadn't performed a full show in public in two decades.

At Newport, Mitchell sang and played guitar on songs such as “A Case of You”, “Both Sides Now” and “The Circle Game”.

Reflecting on how extraordinary it was to see Mitchell perform in the summer, Carlile said: “We didn't go to sleep that night. We stayed up until the sun came up. Joni, flat out, loves to perform and she's awesome at it.”

Joni Mitchell performing at Newport Folk Festival (Amy Karibian/YouTube)

Carlile said that Mitchell loved the experience so much, she wanted to return to the stage.

She chose the Gorge, Carlile said, because of its beauty and proximity to Canada, where she grew up.

Carlile will perform there on 9 June and open for Mitchell the next night.

Mitchell has made a string of public appearances since recovering from her brain aneurysm.

At the Grammy Awards in April, Mitchell was honoured as the 2022 MusiCares Person of the year by the Recording Academy. She then introduced Carlile for a live performance during the ceremony.

Mitchell was also among the artists earlier this year to tell Spotify to remove their music catalogues from the platform in protest against Joe Rogan’s podcast.