Seldom granting interviews since suffering a brain aneurysm in 2015, Joni Mitchell sat down with Elton John for an in-depth convo on his Apple Music 1 show Elton John’s Rocket Hour.
During their conversation scheduled for broadcast for Saturday (11.12,) the iconic female singer/songwriter confirmed a live recording of her surprise July appearance at the Newport Folk Festival alongside Brandi Carlile, Taylor Goldsmith, Wynonna Jude, and Marcus Mumford.
“[We] didn’t have any [rehearsal],” she says, noting that she played electric guitar on her 1974 Court and Spark classic “Just Like This Train.” “I couldn’t sing the key, I’ve become an alto, I’m not a soprano anymore, so I couldn’t sing the song. And I thought people might feel lighted that if I just played the guitar part, but I like the guitar part to that song. So anyway, it was very well received, much to my delight.”
Elton and Joni also discussed going to Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2019 to see Carlile perform Blue straight through with John stating “I was sitting next to you, and the joy from your face was amazing.” “She did such a good job,” as Mitchell replied. “There have been a lot of covers of my songs, but she’s very true to the original. So it was kind of like going to my own concert.”
While Joni hasn’t released an LP of original material since 2007’s Shine, the show’s host expressed hope that she’d create another one at some point, saying “One day, I want you to sit in this room like we’re doing now, but with some recording equipment.” “I want you to make an album in this room because it’s so magical. Every corner of this room is Joni. Everything about it is Joni…And I really want you to consider making a record, maybe new songs, the way you are going, you are tearing up the world at the moment.”
Mitchell will be playing a “Joni Jam” concert with Carlile at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington, on July 10, 2023 and John, will play the final date of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour on November 20 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles with shows booked all across the planet in 2023, wrapping up July 8 in Stockholm, Sweden.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: David Leyes