Up until recently, it felt safe to assume that the legendary Joni Mitchell might be done with gigging for good. The hugely influential folk singer-songwriter, responsible for classic albums such as Blue, Both Sides, Now, and Court and Spark, released her final studio album Shine in 2007, and quit touring for good that same year. Though she made occasional appearances as a speaker over the next decade, she was also contending with a number of health issues including a brain aneurysm rupture and the lengthy period of recovery that followed.
This all changed last year, however, when Mitchell made an unannounced appearance at Newport Folk Festival. The artist came on as a surprise guest during a set billed as Brandi Carlile and Friends, for a thirteen song set featuring collaborators such as Marcus Mumford, Celisse, and Brandi Carlile. The incredibly special show is now set to be immortalised in forthcoming live album Joni Mitchell at Newport, out on July 28 - and Mitchell has also confirmed her first full live show in over twenty years. She last performed a headline set in 2004 at Los Angeles’ Wiltern.
