Brandi Carlile says Joni Mitchell was ‘worried’ ahead of first full live performance

• Joni Mitchell performed with Brandi Carlile at the Newport Folk Festival.
• Carlile revealed that Mitchell was “worried” about going back on stage.

Brandi Carlile has opened up about Joni Mitchell’s “apprehension” ahead of the “Big Yellow Taxi” singer’s first full live performance in 20 years.

On July 24, the 78-year-old Grammy Award winner performed with the country singer at the Newport Folk Festival. She sang a number of her timeless songs, including “A Case of You” and “Both Sides Now.”

In addition to being Mitchell’s first public appearance since suffering a brain aneurysm in 2015, the set was her first full performance since playing the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles on November 13, 2002.

Carlile claimed that Mitchell was “worried” about going back on stage in an essay on Thursday, July 28.

“There was a moment before we left for Newport when she had developed some apprehension,” she wrote. “I think that was because she took it upon herself to play guitar again.

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“And I think she found it frustrating to watch her ability on guitar before the aneurysm and then try and reach that ability in a short time. She got a little worried what the expectations were of her around Newport.”

However, the “Heart’s Content” singer said they jumped on a FaceTime call and “had one of the best conversations we’ve ever had”.

“I said, ‘Joni, since we all met you, we’ve all started working together, we’ve become a family. You’ve created a community around you. All we want to do is just sit there in a circle and sing to show you what you’ve done for us,” she continued.

“And if you sing along, f***ing awesome; if you don’t, we’re just so happy to be with you. This is our way of thanking you.”

Carlile added: “[Mitchell] said, ‘I get the spirit of it now. We will just sit there and look at the water and sing.’ And after that if she was apprehensive in any way, we didn’t know it.”

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Since overcoming her brain aneurysm, the “Our House” singer has made a number of shorter public appearances, notably at the Grammy Awards in April.

There, Mitchell received recognition from the Recording Academy as the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year. She also gave a live performance by Carlile during the ceremony’s introductions.