1979.08.25  Forest Hills Tennis Stadium  New York, NY

Comments on this appearance

dscott1 on 2012-Apr-18 at 13:16:37 GMT-5: This was two years out of college for me. I ran into a girlfirend from school and we decided to see Joni. It was at the old Forrest Hills Tennis Center in Queens. The concert was outside and under the stars. The Persuaisions opened and were great. Then Joni with her band and friends came out and were even better. It was a magical evening in every sense and a night I will never forget.

Amyfair on 2010-Dec-16 at 03:16:56 GMT-5: I was in 9th grade and was supposed to go see my cousins that week. But I put my foot down and said I must go to see Joni, she taught me how to sing and I loved her. I would not be stopped. Finally my mother relented but I had to have an escort to take me. I recruited a friend of my older sister and we took the train, and it was such a magical experience to see the woman I listened to daily in the flesh. I still remember the air on my face in the open arena while I was held my her voice and her stellar band. A memory I will cherish forever.

ipsofacto on 2009-Oct-13 at 14:40:30 GMT-5: It was a perfect evening and it seemed everyone was happy.What I remember most is my excitment at seeing two of my favorite players along with joni and finding out how bright,beautiful,brilliant and sincere joni seemed to me.I could of sworn joni was twice as tall as jaco and pat.I remember the smoothness and consistancy of the sound mix.I also remember during cayote thinking how effortless joni made it all seem.Joni is a great band leader and I would not have become a musician if it were not for her gift of inspiration.We never smiled the whole way through.I have since enjoyed hearing joni sing goodbuy pork pie hat.I do not believe anyone has ever sang these moving words with such emotion and seeming technical ease.A solid a for sure

Archival comments

Buoyed by a strong band, and in very good voice, Joni Mitchell was in complete command in the open air setting of Forest Hills Tennis Stadium on this serene mid-summer's night. Her singing was confident and unforced. The band followed her leadership flawlessly - even the obligatory solos of Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius and Michael Brecker seemed to complement the musical flow. And the highly enthusiastic audience was swept along, so much so that the usual shouted suggestions were kept to a minimum.

The songs was typical for the 1979 tour, comprising selections primarily from her mid-to-late 70's albums of pop/rock/jazz vintage. In her folk-rock days, hearing Joni with and without a band was like being at two different concerts (witness the gulf between sides 1 and 2 on "Miles of Ailes"). Now, with a minimum of reportage, Joni moved seamlessly between mostly solo mood pieces and fully backed high-spirited rock. Almost all the performances hit the mark, but special mention should be made of: "In France They Kiss on Main Street" which seemed to fit her rhythms perfectly; the always excellent "Dreamland"; a syncopated version of "God Must Be a Boogie Man"; and wonderfully sensitive performances of (the always excellent) "Amelia"; "Hejira"; "Furry Sings the Blues"; "Last Time I Saw Richard"; and "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat". On the last song, Joni hit all the high notes.

She was joined toward the end by the Persuasions, who were also the opening act, for harmonized versions of "Shadows and Light" and "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (similar to the takes included on the 1980 album and video "Shadows and Light").

It's clear that Joni enjoyed the support she got from musicians of this caliber, and they perfectly fit her current idiom, challenging as it is. She was clearly at ease, and looked great. There was no downside to this performance; I'd rate the concert a solid "A".

The songlist (excluding the instrumental solos):

Big Yellow Taxi
Just Like This Train
In France They Kiss on Main Street
Coyote
Edith and the Kingpin
Free Man in Paris
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
Dry Cleaner from Des Moines
Amelia
Hejira
Dreamland
Black Crow
Furry Sings the Blues
God Must Be a Boogie Man
Raised on Robbery
Shadows and Light
Last Time I Saw Richard
Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Woodstock