The race for tickets begins: Joni Mitchell will perform first headlining show in decades
If anyone can bring the legendary Joni Mitchell back onstage, it’s Brandi Carlile.
The singer-songwriter revealed Wednesday on “The Daily Show” that she and Mitchell will perform at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Wash., next summer. The announcement comes several months after Mitchell stunned and delighted fans by joining Carlile onstage at this year’s Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island.
Prior to that magical moment, the Canadian American musician hadn’t sung for a live crowd in approximately two decades.
“After Newport, Joni said, ‘I want to do another show.’ She said, ‘I want to play again,’” Carlile told outgoing “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah.
“We got to thinking about it, and we decided on a venue. ... It’s one of the most beautiful venues in the world.”
The Grammy favorite and Joni Mitchell whisperer continues to advocate for artists who have historically been marginalized in country music.
Carlile and Mitchell are set to co-headline a two-part concert event titled “Echoes Through the Canyon.” Carlile will play the Gorge on June 9, followed by Mitchell on June 10.
“No one’s been able to buy a ticket to see Joni Mitchell play in 20 years,” Carlile continued.
“So this is enormous. And she’s so excited because it’s close to Canada and some of her Canadian friends. ... I can’t believe it’s happening, but it’s happening, and she is going to crush it.”
Tickets for “Echoes Through the Canyon” go on sale to the general public on Oct. 28, according to LiveNation. Fans can also sign up for presale offers that begin Oct. 27.
In an interview this month with the Los Angeles Times, Carlile gushed about performing with Mitchell at the Newport Folk Festival and opened up about how spending time at the 78-year-old music icon’s home inspired her latest album, “In the Canyon Haze.”
“If you thought what she did [at the Newport Folk Festival] was miraculous, just know it was even more miraculous since we had no idea it was going to happen until it did,” Carlile told The Times.
Joni Mitchell’s surprise performance at the Newport Folk Festival was just what we needed — a reminder that joy trumps despair every time.
On “The Daily Show,” she elaborated: “We thought it was a jam. We didn’t know that she was going to sing all the leads on those songs. She just started singing ... and we didn’t know whether we should stop or what we should do.”
“She completely took over the show and became the performer that we all know that she is,” Carlile added.
“We didn’t go to sleep that night. We stayed up till the sun came up just loving what happened. ... Joni flat-out loves to perform, and she’s awesome at it. She’s every bit as good at it now as she ever was.”
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
