LIVING LEGEND

Joni Mitchell Makes Grammy Performance Debut With ‘Both Sides Now’

The 80-year-old icon performed for the first time at the Grammys alongside Brandi Carlile, Jacob Collier, and more.

It only took a few decades, but Joni Mitchell has finally performed at the Grammy Awards.

Just hours after winning her 10th Grammy, the folk-rock icon took the stage during Sunday night’s show alongside her dear friend and collaborator Brandi Carlile, who introduced the performance with an impassioned speech about how “timeless” Mitchell is. And because the Grammys love a posse performance, Mitchell was also flanked by a few other musical luminaries, including Jacob Collier, Sista Strings, Lucius, Allison Russell, and Blake Mills.

Together, the star-studded crew collaborated on a goosebumps-inducing rendition of Mitchell’s classic ballad “Both Sides Now.” Mitchell, looking resplendent, was seated front and center on the stage, smiling and holding a cane as she hit every note.

Earlier on Sunday, Mitchell won the Grammy for Best Folk Album for her 2023 live album Joni Mitchell at Newport, which was recorded during a surprise appearance at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival—her first public performance in 20 years.

Accepting the award during a pre-telecast ceremony, Mitchell said, “We had so much fun at that concert, and I think you can feel it on the record. It’s a very joyous record because of the people I played with and the spirit of the occasion was very high and it went onto the record. Even the audience sounds like music.”

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That was Mitchell’s 10th Grammy win. She’s been nominated 18 times over the course of her celebrated career, dating back to 1970, when she won Best Folk Performance for “Clouds.” She also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2002.

Mitchell, 80, has only given a handful of live performances since she suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015, after which, as Carlile noted, she had to learn how to speak, sing, and walk again.

And there’s reason for Joni fans to remain optimistic about her gradual return to the stage. Just a few days ago, she announced her second headlining concert in as many decades—she’ll play the Hollywood Bowl this October.

Madeline RothEntertainment Editor

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