Joni Mitchell Sings In Surprise Concert At Newport Folk Festival, Her First Show In 20 Years

Joni Mitchell surprised and delighted attendees of the Newport Folk Festival and closed out the series of concerts with a laid-back performance at a show that was supposed to be a tribute to the iconic artist.

Mitchell and all the accompanying artists were seated on the stage, with the signer of “The Circle Game” taking a center position on a throne where she belongs. Mitchell reportedly crooned through tons of old hits, got up to give a guitar solo and sang covers like one she did of George Gershwin’s song “Summertime.”

This concert was curated by Brandi Carlile, who performed seated next to Mitchell. Also in attendance were several folk music stars like Lucius, Marcus Mumford, Blake Mills and Wynonna Judd. The artists weren’t just there to listen to Mitchell’s performance either, with them all jumping in for different aspects of the performance in very well-assembled featured appearances.

All these stars were there not only to celebrate Mitchell but also as a celebration of gatherings she hosts in her Los Angeles home that are called “Joni Jams,” which attracted tons of A-List musicians to perform for each other. “No one brings folk singers together like the humility of trying out a new song in front of Joni f––king Mitchell,” Carlile cracked at the top of the performance.

The artist has not toured or released original music since 2007. She suffered from a brain aneurysm rupture in 2015 and had to undergo daily therapy though she eventually recovered. This made seeing Mitchell perform her much-loved classic songs even more poignant for everyone there, surely.