I traveled with some friends in a cramped VW microbus with a broken heater in a snowstorm to see this concert. Cost $10 (a bit of money back then) but we had excellent seats, and as a longtime fan I had the best time.

When Joni walked out onto the stage and glided gracefully to the piano, I and everyone around me were awestruck with her elegance.
We were forever mesmerized . Thank you Joni for your genius. No artist has ever matched your sensitivity. I'll always love you!

I thought I saw Joni in Milwaukee at the Arena or Auditorium, same venue where I saw Van Morrison and Elton John, but maybe it was at the Dane County Coliseum.? I knew every song by heart off of Blue. I also had Court & Spark and the double set where Joni was naked by the ocean but you saw only her backside.
The big impression she made on me was that she changed dresses. I guess I had not seen a female singer in concert before Joni. Laura Nyro was my other love. I knew her songs by heart also. Anyway, it would have been my freshman year at Madison in Jan '74. Just wish I could remember better. Congratulations Joni, on singing live in Concert for your 70th birthday. all the best . . .

I drove 110 miles to Madison from UW Stevens Point with friends that night for the concert and dropped my car keys in the snow on the way in from the parking lot. It was a magical concert and I was in awe. I remember she wouldn't play Wish I had a River because it was after Christmas.
After the concert we had to get a ride back to Stevens Point since I had no keys. One kid in our group had a sister in Madison who drove us in an unheated station wagon and we were freezing. When I came back with another set of keys the next day I was able to find my original keys as the sun had been out and the brown leather key chain was peaking out of the snow when I re-traced my steps from the night before.
The concert was well worth all the extra driving and hassle!

After the Dane Coiiseum concert, Joni went back to the Edgewater Hotel, where she was staying. My cousin, Tom worked there at that time and Joni shyly and sweetly asked if she could play the hotel piano to unwind after her magnificent concert. "Of course," stated Tom, and she "played real good for free," a personal concert for more than hour as he worked the late night desk. I just heard that story this past summer from Tom and so it is shared 38 years later as a tribute to her brilliance, since there will never be another artist of her abilities or personal sensibilities.

I saw Joni in concert at this venue. It was a really cold day and we'd had an ice storm in Madison the night before. It was a really great, memorable show and it stands out from all of the other concerts I've seen before or since with very few exceptions. The day after I got a call from a friend who worked at the university branch of the sporting goods company we both worked for. He said he'd sold Joni a pair of skates on the day of concert, the ones she wore for the cover art on "Hejira". He said he'd never wash his hands again.

There is no other singer/songwriter who's given me so much thoughtful enjoyment as Joni over the years. I've been listening to her music regularly for over 40 years now and she's been a huge part of my musical life.

I was 19 when a group of friends, including my sister Cora and my roommate Mauri, traveled to Madison from Iowa City. I will never forget the intensity of that night because my daring sister jumped over the railing and rushed the stage while most of our friends stayed in their seats along the side of Dane County Coliseum. We ended up 4 feet away from beautiful, magical Joni and I took several black and white photos. The first set was acoustic, followed by a set of Court and Spark tunes with the band. Joni now appeared in a deep purple, sleeveless evening gown with sparkling trim. Throughout the show, she was shy and lacked the mature composure present when I saw her in the 80s or as a chanteuse with a full orchestra. We were completely under her spell and at such an impressionable age, I've never forgotten that moment and her incredible artistry. She struck chords on the grand piano for songs from Ladies of the Canyon and Blue. I'll have to look for the play list and I've posted some photos. On our way home the next day, the bright winter sun shone on every twig and branch of the trees in Wisconsin as an ice storm had blanketed everything. This was the same day Joel Bernstein shot the photos of Joni skating on the lake in Madison for the album cover. I made special photo albums for a few select friends who attended the concert. Her romanticism and musical genius really came through on January 22, 1974.