Joni Mitchellis back!
Mitchell, 78, delighted the crowd with 13 songs, including classics like “A Case of You,” “Both Sides Now” and “Big Yellow Taxi” — songs she feared she may never sing again after she suffered a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 2015.
“I’ve never been nervous about being in front of an audience,” Mitchell later toldCBS News. “But I want it to be good. And I wasn’t sure I could be. But I didn’t sound too bad tonight!”
Joni Mitchell.Douglas Mason/Getty Images
The performance marked her first full set since she headlined a benefit concert in Los Angeles in 2002, and her first public performance since 2013, when she sang briefly at a concert tribute in Toronto, according to herwebsite.
TheBluesinger told CBS News that after her aneurysm, she had to teach herself to play the guitar again, among other skills that had to be relearned.
Joni Mitchell.Sachyn Mital/Shutterstock
Earlier this year, some of music’s biggest names came together to honor Mitchell as the MusiCares Person of the Year in Las Vegas.
For well over three hours, guests wined and dined while listening to a bevy of iconic and modern-day artists cover Mitchell’s songs. Some musicians were excited to simply be in the same room as the “River” singer, whereas others shared personal stories of how Mitchell influenced them.
“We are all better artists because of the lines you dared to cross,“Billy Portersaid ahead of a moving performance of “Both Sides Now.” “Joni Mitchell, you are marvelous.”
Joni Mitchell and Brandi Carlile.Douglas Mason/Getty Images
Elton Johnsaid in a vignette, “You’ve influenced me so much with your chord changes and ability to surprise and delve further into songwriting. Not many people dared to do that, but you did.”
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Upon receiving her award at the MGM Grand, Mitchell, who walked with a cane, thanked the performers and even threw in some humor.
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Reflecting on the evening, Mitchell told CBS News that having her body of work recognized felt “very rewarding.”
“You know, a lot of doors were shut to me. Like the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. They kept me out of that for a long time,” she said. “[But] I’m feelin' the love, yeah. It feels good! I think having a brush with death like that kind of softens people towards me!”
source: people.com
