It’s never too late to try something new, as Joni Mitchell proved Sunday night with her first-ever performance at the Grammy Awards. The legendary 80-year-old singer-songwriter turned in an emotional performance of her classic “Both Sides Now” in Los Angeles shortly after winning Best Folk Album for Joni Mitchell at Newport.
Prior to taking the Crypto.com Arena stage, Mitchell was introduced by her friend and frequent collaborator Brandi Carlile, who called her “The matriarch of imagination, a true renaissance woman, my hero and yours.” Carlile then proceeded to join Mitchell in the performance of the track off Clouds—which won Best Folk Performance at the 1970 Grammys—along with Allison Russell, Lucius, Jacob Collier, Blake Mills, and Sista Strings.
Perched on her throne, Mitchell was met with a standing ovation as her chair rotated to face the crowd. As Mitchell performed the song which has become even more poignant with the passage of time, the broadcast showed the generations of female artists who have followed her including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Olivia Rodrigo, and Dua Lipa—many of whom appeared misty-eyed just like thousands of viewers at home.
Oh, but now old friends they’re acting strange
And they shake their heads and they tell me that I’ve changed
Well something’s lost, but something’s gained
In living every day
The Grammys performance was the latest achievement in a career resurgence for Joni Mitchell. Her Grammy-winning album Joni Mitchell at Newport captured her first full live set in 22 years, which came as a surprise at Newport Folk Festival in 2022. Since then, she also performed for a sold-out crowd of 27,500 fans at The Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington. All of this comes after Mitchell nearly died from a brain aneurysm in 2015, and went through an arduous rehabilitation process where she relearned to sing and talk again. She recently announced a concert at the Hollywood Bowl with her Joni Jam crew of collaborators, quickly adding a second night due to overwhelming demand. Sunday’s win marked her 18th Grammy nomination and 10th win overall.
Watch Joni Mitchell perform “Both Sides Now” at the 2024 Grammys.
Joni Mitchell – “Both Sides Now”