Joni Mitchell Welcomes Brandi Carlile, Elton John, John Batiste, Marcus Mumford, Annie Lennox and Many More for Joni Jam at the Hollywood Bowl
Photo Credit: Nina Westervelt
Over the weekend, Joni Mitchell and an all-star ensemble of friends and collaborators took over Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl for the Joni Jams, a pair of expansive revue performances celebrating the legendary singer-songwriter. With a first staging on Saturday, Oct. 19, and a Sunday, Oct. 20 follow-up added due to overwhelming demand, Mitchell dug deep into her unparalleled discography to share fan favorites and unexpected odd-ends with wit and wisdom finely tuned in her 80 years. Each show stretched out past the three-hour mark and welcomed a total cast of 24 high-profile performers, collectively amounting to a stunning and personal tribute worthy of the icon at its center.
Anticipation for the Hollywood Bowl Joni Jams has been mounting since the artist first announced her hometown headline dates in January. Beyond the celebrated cast of performers and well-suited setting, the powerful energy in the bandshell came from the event’s symbolic significance as the apex of the Mitchell’s long journey back to the spotlight. After the 2015 brain aneurysm that left her unable to speak or walk, the Joni Jams emerged as Mitchell’s friends and musical devotees–organized by self-proclaimed superfan Brandi Carlile–gathered in her California home to play her songs to her as she recovered.
With time, and the reference of watching her old recordings, the icon found her way to joining in harmonies, then leading the cohort with the jaw-dropping Joni Jam at 2022’s Newport Folk Festival. From this first public performance in decades, Mitchell kept her momentum with a subsequent 2023 jam at George, Wash.’s The Gorge Amphitheater, plus small-set shows in the televised program of the 66th Grammy Awards and at The Library of Congress Great Hall in Washington, D.C., to commemorate her acceptance of the 2023 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
Through all of these engagements, the singer-songwriter has invited accompaniment from that same cast of collaborators, most of whom joined in onstage at The Hollywood Bowl. The double-header saw the return of Carlile, Allison Russell, Lucius, SistaStrings, Jacob Collier, Marcus Mumford, Celisse, Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith, Blake Mills, Annie Lennox and Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman of the Revolution. The tight musical bond forged in this band was bolstered by newcomers Jon Batiste, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth, Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold, Abe Rounds, Taylor Mackall, Rita Wilson and Meryl Streep. The whole company sat in plush chairs and couches encircling the artist, who assumed the spotlight at center stage with emcee and “ambassador” Carlile.
Together, the Joni Jammers issued 27 songs in two sets on each night. The carefully honed setlist was the same on Saturday and Sunday, with a first frame focusing primarily on the icon and the second inviting broader collaboration. Despite the 17,000 rapt attendees in the audience, the show exuded a caring intimacy throughout, fostered in large part by Joni’s casual approach to her canon and her relationship with Carlile. The eclectic mix of songs staged clearly reflected the artist’s own preference, which animated the timeless classics with true wonder, joy, and laughter erupting between nearly every cut.
After applause and introductions, Joni and company set off the first set with “Be Cool,” a slick select from 1982’s “Wild Things Run Fast.” With a comparably stripped-down group, she followed this entree into “Harlem in Havana,” the first of three live debuts in a set that centered late career gems. The third track “Hejira” marked another trend, as the beloved 1976 album of the same name was well-represented with the subsequent inclusions “Coyote,” “Refuge of the Roads” and “Amelia.” After further standouts like “Carey,” “Sunny Sunday,” “Night Ride Home” and the romping Mingus favorite “God Must Be a Boogie Man,” Mitchell brought the first frame to a close with the immortal, soul-stirring, emotionally overwhelming run of “Both Sides Now.”
Joni, now joined by the complete collective, spun into the spotlight for the second set with an exuberant treatment of her 1970 environmental anthem “Big Yellow Taxi.” The band raced through “Raised on Robbery” to launch a string of songs that focused on interplay with soloists from the all-star cast; Mumford took the lead on “California,” and Lennox saw an immensely positive response to her take on “Ladies of the Canyon.” A mid-section brought two further highlights as Joni covered George Gershwin’s “Summertime,” reintroduced to her repertoire for the 2023 LOC event, then followed with her edited version of Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing.” Joni debuted the latter to celebrate Elton’s 2024 Gershwin Prize, and the glam troubadour returned the favor on Sunday as he joined for a duet.
In the wake of an awe-inspiring run–which also included a stamp of approval for YG’s 2016 SoCal political banger “FDT” and the Canadian songstress’ claim that she is also “one of those ‘lousy immigrants’”–Mitchell wrapped up the program with a rapturous rendition of “The Circle Game.” The Ladies of the Canyon classic brought the crowd to its feet for a roaring singalong, then a standing ovation. Just as the audience and ensemble beamed, so too did Mitchell, whose love for performing clearly burns brighter than ever after fighting to renew her place in the spotlight.
Read on for the complete setlist from the Joni Jam.
Joni Mitchell
The Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles
8/19-20/24
Set I: Be Cool, Harlem in Havana, Hejira, Cherokee Louise, Coyote, Care, Sire of Sorrow, God Must Be a Boogie Man, Sunny Sunday, If I Had a Heart, Refuge of the Roads, Night Ride Home, Both Sides Now
Set II: Big Yellow Taxi, Raised on Robbery, California, Magdalene Laundries, Ladies of the Canyon, Summertime, Come in From the Cold, A Case of You, I’m Still Standing, Dog Eat Dog, Amelia, If, Shine, Circle Game
Notes:
Joni Jammers: Brandi Carlile, Allison Russell, Lucius, SistaStrings, Jacob Collier, Marcus Mumford, Celisse, Taylor Goldsmith, Blake Mills, Annie Lennox, Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Jon Batiste, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth, Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold, Abe Rounds, Taylor Mackall, Rita Wilson, Meryl Streep and Elton John
