Brandi Carlile was the featured guest on Monday’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where she covered “Blue” by Joni Mitchell. The appearance comes following Carlile’s special engagement at Carnegie Hall on Saturday where she performed Mitchell’s landmark 1971 album Blue in its entirety.
Taking the stage cloaked in fitting blue lighting, Carlile stands alone at the microphone with grand piano accompaniment. As 2021 marks the 50th-anniversary of Blue, the song’s lyrics ring just as prescient at the dawn of the 2020s as they did at the dawn of the 1970s. Carlile provides a reverent interpretation of the album’s title track, delivering the sacred text with the subdued power of her voice.
Ahead of the performance, which also saw Carlile sing the original “This Time Tomorrow” with Phil and Tim Hanseroth (aka The Twins), Brandi sat for an interview with Stephen. The Carnegie Hall show marked Carlile’s second time performing Blue—the first one took place in L.A. in 2019—though, luckily, this time she didn’t have to rely on the assistance of a hypnotist to combat the nerves.
“I was able to kind of rely on some of the old tools I got from being hypnotized last time,” Carlile said. “Some of the mantras and the little things I was supposed to tell myself to snap out of total panic.”
Related: Brandi Carlile Lambasts Grammys Over ‘Pop’ Categorization Of “Right On Time”
After Brandi and Stephen traded favorite Joni Mitchell lines—Carlile’s from “The Last Time I Saw Richard” and Colbert’s from “A Case Of You”—the singer-songwriter revealed that after her Carnegie Hall show she took a shot of tequila and called up Joni herself. The two are no strangers, with Carlile serving as a regular guest at Mitchell’s monthly jams.
“It’s like when your life flashes before your eyes you’re gonna see those jams before you see the birth of your children kind of thing,” Carlile said with half-joking laughter.
Watch Brandi Carlile perform Joni Mitchell’s “Blue”, her own “This Time Tomorrow”, and sit for an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Carlile is off for the rest of 2021, with her next gig coming at her own Girls Just Wanna Weekend destination event in Riviera Maya, Mexico February 1st–5th, 2022. For tickets and a full list of tour dates visit her website.
Brandi Carlile – “Blue” (Joni Mitchell)
Brandi Carlile – “The Time Tomorrow”
“I Had A Shot Of Tequila And I Called Joni” – Brandi Carlile After Her Carnegie Hall Performance