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Joni Mitchell, 80, had Grammy audience sobbing with emotional performance of ‘Both Sides, Now’

February 5, 2024 | | Print Article

A debut decades in the making left the Grammy Awards audience in tears when folk icon Joni Mitchell overcame a health setback and took the stage.

Hardly lacking for memorable moments, the 66th annual award show from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California managed to run the emotional gamut Sunday. While many reacted to the arrest of Killer Mike, the cringe-worthy exchange between Celine Dion and Taylor Swift or the moving duet of Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs, others were stirred by 80-year-old Joni Mitchell’s decade-long recovery to perform “Both Sides, Now.”

Nine years after suffering a brain aneurysm that left her unable to walk, talk or play guitar, a task that already challenged the artist due to polio as a child, the “Big Yellow Taxi” performer took centerstage to mark winning the award for Best Folk Album for “Joni Mitchell At Newport [Live].”

Before taking the stage alongside Mitchell, fellow singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile introduced the artist, giving her recognition for influencing the music industry throughout her lifetime.

“Whether we know it or not, any one of us out here who ever dreamed of becoming a truly self-revealing singer-songwriter did it standing on the shoulders of one Joni Mitchell,” contended Carlile who went on to say, “Joni is one of the most influential and emotionally generous creators in human history. She redefined the very purpose of a song to reflect the contents of a person’s soul.”

“And before she took this leap, the popular song was observational, it was brilliant and influential, of course, but the exhilarating risk that we all now take by turning ourselves inside out for all the world to see, started, as far as I can tell, with Joni Mitchell doing it first,” she continued.

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Adding color to the commentary, Carlile suggested, “She’s like the first person to strip down at a skinny-dipping party and take that awkward terrifying leap before everyone else eventually joyfully follows.”

Flashes of the audience during Mitchell’s performance showed that A-list celebrities like Meryl Streep, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Swift adored the entertainer before offering her a standing ovation as Trevor Noah presented her with her award.

Chris Gardner of The Hollywood Reporter shared a perspective from the audience with the caption, “Here’s what standing ovation for Joni Mitchell looked like inside #Grammys…After the performance, Brandi Carlile bends down to hug Joni. Beautiful moment, perfect performance.”

Attendees weren’t alone in admiring Mitchell as social media users sounded off with their own accounts of tearful reactions to the song.

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“The most beautiful rendition that will ever be done,” suggested one as another said, “She had us all sobbing.”

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Mitchell is expected to perform two concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in October in what Carlile previewed as a “night for the ages” when she enthusiastically shared,”It’s really happening!”

Kevin Haggerty
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