On Sunday night, the country singer grew emotional as she watched Mitchell perform her 1969 classic “Both Sides Now” at the Newport Folk Festival.
The “Why Not Me” singer was one of several performers who joined Mitchell on stage for a recreation of her private “Joni Jams,” which Mitchell has hosted at her home in recent years with stars like Elton John and Harry Styles.
Mitchell’s performancewas a surprise to many, as it was her first full set in more than 20 years. During the show, she also sang fan favorites like “A Case of You” and “Big Yellow Taxi” — something she feared she’d never be able to do again after she suffered a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 2015.
Wynonna Judd and Joni Mitchell.Gabe Ginsberg/Getty; Lester Cohen/WireImage
“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!”
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.
The singer told CBS News that after her aneurysm, she had to teach herself to play the guitar again, among other skills.
Meanwhile, Judd recentlymade a memorable appearance at Nashville’s CMA Festduring Carly Pearce’s set. Together, they sang The Judds' 1984 hit “Why Not Me,” with performance coming just weeks after Judd lost hermom and duet partner, Naomi Judd.
Since her mother’s unexpected death in April, she announced The Judds' previously scheduledFinal Tourwould still go on. The tour is set to kick off in September and will wrap in October.
“I’ve made a decision, and I thought I’d share it on national television that, after a lot of thought, I’m gonna have to honor her and do this tour,” shetold CMT viewers at homein May during Naomi’s tribute event. “The show must go on, as hard as it may be, and we will show up together, and you will carry me as you’ve carried me for 38 years … So we will continue this spectacle. That’s what she would want, right?”
Judd also released a hopeful collaboration with indie rockerWaxahatcheetitled “Other Side” in May.
source: people.com
