By Michael J. Fitta, Reporting for JoniMitchell.com

"Once in awhile
In a big blue moon
There comes a night like this..."
-Joni Mitchell, "Night Ride Home"


It was the summer of 1978, I believe, when I last held a ticket to a Joni Mitchell show. Her concert scheduled at Colt State Park in Bristol, R.I. was cancelled, and my dream was dashed... I'll never quite forget how sad I was over this missed opportunity to experience Joni live under the stars. She has captivated me with her wit and creative genius since the release of "The Hissing of Summer Lawns." I had eventually made some sort of peace with that missed date. Somehow through the years, I guess Joni and I kept missing each other. Up until the release of her most recent masterpiece, "Both Sides Now," the thought of maybe never getting to see Joni perform was beginning to gel. She took care of all that tonight at the FleetBoston Pavilion in Boston, and in stunning form, she exceeded my every expectation.

Joni's performance of her current "Both Sides Now" album took on a brilliance that's hinted at on the CD, but not as fully revealed. Her voice shone, and soared, and shimmered, and simmered! Joni is clearly having the time of her life singing these tunes, and in live performance, she truly gave them something that no one else could give.... she gives them JONI. As she moved with the music, seemingly slow-dancing with it, romancing it, caressing it, she swept us all away on her journey through the stages of romantic love. This is her time to "put the guitar down, step away from the piano and just enjoy singing, y'know ..." she told her warm and affectionate Boston audience at the start of the show. And sing she did, in beautiful voice and with exquisite styling and nuance.

The FleetBoston Pavilion was the perfect venue for this production, with its beautiful outdoor harborside ambience enhanced by a cloudy and misty dusk sky. Joni's opening orange hooded ensemble illuminated the stage, as did her gracious smile and demeanor. Joni carried herself last night like a young girl who is very proud of a new dress, alternately showing off with a thrown-in scat or "doo-bee-doop," and giggling nervously to the audience, ."..got carried away there!" Before almost every song in the now-standard set list for this tour, Joni stopped to address the crowd and introduce the song, taking interruptions from fans screaming her name and song titles in stride by simply saying "Much obliged," "Thank you," or "That's me!"

"Comes Love," "Be Cool," and "Trouble Man" were swinging testaments to Joni's jazzy "coolness," and she torched on torch classics like "You've Changed" and "Stormy Weather" with all of the passion and conviction of Lady Day. It was the performance of her own material, though, that brought the Boston crowd to its feet several times, with frenzied applause and with over 10 bouquets presented to her from the front of the stage. Her performance of "A Case of You," which had a little more rhythm behind it than her most recent re-recording of this song, was pure magic. Time literally seemed to hang in the balance as she brought this song achingly to life, and in its new incarnation here on BSN it works beautifully. Her new version of "Both Sides Now," performed in the second set of the show, seems to have taken on a whole new life and meaning. Standing awash in multi-colored light in her second-set black pleated ensemble, Joni sang this classic triumphantly, proudly... there weren't many dry eyes in my row at this point in the show.

It was the last set of five songs that I was looking forward to most of all: "Be Cool," "Judgement Of The Moon and Stars," "Hejira," "For The Roses" and "Trouble Man." Of these, I think I enjoyed "Judgement" the least; it sounded almost too grand and blasting as a full-out orchestral piece, losing much of its original intimate feel. "Hejira," however, was the jewel of the group. Bringing out Larry Klein (to yet another well-deserved standing ovation) to provide beautifully intricate bass work, Joni sashayed her way through this song's new rhythm and brought this piece to a new level of beauty and grace. I must say that during "For the Roses," when she pantomimed playing a guitar while singing the line about "the soundhole and your knee," I went absolutely cold. This song ("my I-hate-show-business song," she called it), was also beautifully done.

Joni complimented the orchestra of talented local musicians several times throughout the course of the show, saying she wished she could bring them along everywhere ("We get a new band in each city we go to, just like Chuck Berry!," she quipped). She was clearly pleased with their performance of the material, and told the audience at the show's end, "Thank you, Boston. I'll always remember this night! What a special night... thank you so much for your flowers!" Every reaction that I heard from individual audience members was overwhelmingly positive... there was no grumbling over the guitar's absence, and everyone here seemed more than willing to let Joni show us her latest work HER way.

For my part, I will always want to see Joni play a guitar, sing, or otherwise perform in ANY way she chooses. She is truly a legend and has earned my trust and respect as an artist and musician; I would happily follow her down any artistic road she leads us. This "Both Sides Now" show was the experience of a lifetime... I was honored to have been there and (finally!) enjoyed Joni's live magic. THANK YOU SO MUCH, Joni, for "a night like this" is one I will never forget.

REPORTS FROM THE INTERNET COMMUNITY

Hi, I went to this concert with great anticipation and left disappointed. This was not the proper venue for Joni. It is an outdoor facility with no acoustic integrity and she would have been so better served at Symphony Hall or the New England Conservatory Hall. Joni also needs to perform with a small ensemble of symphony musicians if she is to have any chance of pulling this show off. The 70 piece symphony orchestra is to overpowering for such an intimate performer. I had always wanted to see Joni perform live though and felt priveledged to be breathing the same air as she. The depth of her poetry, singing, and gentle soul are pure and magical and I hope someday to see her perform solo or with a small ensemble. Joni please come back to Boston soon.

We Love You D from Boston

Well I can't see it getting any better than this. Sunday night my lady and I took in Joni Mitchell at Fleetbank Pavilion an outdoor venue in Boston Ma..

We were lucky enough to get tickets the day of release and were able to get third row center seating so we saw all and heard all. She sounded PERFECT !!!! and was quite funny !!!!! Sure I missed the hits , but when I got home I relized that this was for one night only , it's not a play were I can go back another night during the course of the next two months and see it all over. It left you feeling satisfied the way a good play would, and wanting to see it again. I must say who ever picked out her first outfit came straight from Ringlings Circus, it was awful and didn't match Joni in anyway. Also the sound sometimes buried Joni's vocals right out of song but mostly late into the show. I must say watching Joni facial expressions and movements helped bring each song into new meaning ....... I compare her show last night to a great saloon sound I've enjoyed for years , that of Julie London.

This was one great show and I'd do it all over again daily but I can't. So I'll settle for the C.D. which sounds great but is still only 1/3 as good as she was last night ! One suggestion: If she comes back EVER ........BE THERE !!!!!!!!!! A+++++++++++++++ to Joni and The Musicians !!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Dave & Sharon Laughlin Manchester N.H.

Photo: Ashara Stansfield

hello! i love joni mitchell and i took my mother to her concert last night and it was awesome although i was dissapointed when she didnt sing a song for sharon but ill recover! well i just wanted to let you know and if you havent already go see her!

Joni was sublime last night at the Fleet Center in Boston. She tore open our hearts with the old songs, it was impossible to fight the tears. What a present for all of us to hear her, a godess gathering sound. A shapeshifting jazz siren. Thank you God for Joni....Nancy Hart

Hi! Just returned from the show! Why is it... Joni is so cold to her real fans! So sad!!!! I was there only in hopes to see James!!! sing along with her... it's really no wonder why he didn't show up... she was so rude to her long time fans! I would never attend another Joni Concert again in my life! Sorry... she just doesn't care about folks! She better than you... not better than me though! The END!

P.S. I sat 2nd row Center! Saw it all...

As someone who has been waiting to see Joni in concert since 1985 when I first discovered her music, it was a privilege to witness the magic that only Joni and a 70-piece orchestra could create. Joni seemed more at ease with the contemporary tunes towards the end of the show in the sense that she seemed phsyically more at ease. The more mellow tunes obviously don't allow for much body movement but Joni excelled when the music was groovin'. That is certainly no complaint, just an observation.

The Debussy at the opening of the show was a nice touch. Heck, I'm paying for those 70 musicians with my $75.00 admission, they should have thrown in some Stravinsky or at least one of Ludwig's "songs".

Joni's voice seemed as fine as ever. Don't make us wait another 15 years for a tour. And do something about the price please!

I think I share similar likes and dislikes with others that have written so far. Overall, Joni was amazing and the concert was a wonderful experience. However, as a singer myself, I was puzzled by the way Joni would step back, drink water, look around, wander off stage, or otherwise disconnect herself from the "moment" before the orchestra was done playing. I must admit that many arrangements are overly drawn-out at the end, but it would have been nice if she maintained her intensity until the very end of each song.

Additionally, could someone please explain the comment she made about Beethoven's ghost fluttering around. She said something like "Maybe the Puerto Ricans can see him... I have a lot of Puerto Rican friends." What was that all about???

Lastly, thanks so much for this web site! At 23, I was by far the youngest person I saw at the show (except for those that were with parents), and thanks to this site I was able to inform many of the life-long fans when they had questions about the set or the new album. When someone remarked that there should be a web site, I simply turned and smiled, saying "Joni Mitchell dot com!" -- S'ven

I JUST GOT BACK FROM JONI'S BOSTON CONCERT AT THE FLEET PAVILION. I WAS IN AWE!!!!!!!! WE WERE SENCOND ROW CENTER STAGE AND IT WAS TRULY SPIRITUAL. SHE SOUNDED SO STRONG AND SO SURE OF HERSELF. SHE SOUNDED ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. I HADN'T SEEN IN HER IN 20 YEARS, AND IT FELT LIKE LISTENING TO AN "OLD FRIEND". A WONDERFUL NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO RERETS (COYOTE)

I'd been waiting many years to see my all time favorite artist. No disappointment here, she thrilled me! Joni made me laugh and cry, she was fabulous! I would have sat in the trash can and she could have sung "Mary had a little lamb" and I would have felt grateful to be there! Thank you Joni for sharing your art and soul! I will never forget Boston 5/28/00. Joanne

We drove down six hours from Quebec City to see the concert on the waterfront, under a huge white tent (no sidewalls). We could see the Boston skyline and the planes landing at Logan. Joni was in fine voice and the sound was excellent, especially considering the venue. I loved watching her body move as she swayed to the music. She seems to have an internal syncopated rhythm, all her own. We thought her best material was her own - she loosened up and became even more expressive in the last numbers. She announced that because there has been such an outpouring of support for this project, she would soon release a new album with more of her old tunes revisited. For me, the only sour note was the realisation that Joni is not really into pleasing her fans or building a rapport with them across the footlights. Despite the fact the audience was very generous and responsive, it was a relatively short programme, especially considering the ticket price. There were no real encores, just the pre-planned tunes that were not announced on the programme. We thought she could have at least given us one real encore, solo at the piano, for example. There seems to be no flexibility in the programme; even the between-song patter is scripted. Perhaps it's her egocentricity, shyness, or stubbornness - or perhaps she was simply exhausted - it's quite a gruelling tour schedule. I guess that's just a part of her - shadow and light. This said, it was nevertheless a great show, a great moment for me, and I got teary several times. I would love to see Joni someday up in Canada... Ohhh, Canada... Michael, in Quebec City

My best friend and I adored the JONI concert from the back rows. We were all in such awe of this astounding artist.The audience reacted to her in a way I had never seen such respect for an entertainer. She is such a gift to we mere mortals! The venue may have been an outdoor's cool...she made our insides warm...I will never forget her presence, her rich , focused, giving voice and her ballsiness to be herself..with a smoke in hand because SHE wanted to. One of a kind, thank you JONI...for gracing us with your giftedness. GLenda

I have literally just arrived back home in the uk after spending two weeks in the usa. Last sunday i had the priviledge of attending Joni's concert at Boston Fleet Pavillion and i'm still floating. I would have walked from england for that show and not have been disappointed, Joni looked and sounded superb in an amazing setting which added to the magic of the night.

I last saw Joni perform in the uk in 1983 on her world tour and it has been a long wait but all the sweeter when last sundays show kicked off to a rapturous welcome from the boston crowd. The orchestra complimented Joni's voice superbly i felt and to hear bsn performed live as per the cd was very special indeed.

Whilst hanging around the venue in the afternoon of concert day,secretly hoping Joni might show for sound checks or whatever, we did manage to catch the orchestra rehearsing which really got the juices flowing. I've got to go and get some sleep,work tomorrow,but thanks Joni for a wonderful evening which i will never forget. Thanks also to the lovely city of boston and it's wonderfully kind and helpful people you were a great audience and i'm glad to have shared the night with you all. cheers, Joe Farrell. JMDL Member Comments

MJF: Wow..... it's 1:07, and I must work tomorrow. I'm working on the full review, but I just wanted to say a word about what this night meant to me. She was so brilliant, so beautiful. The music just pours through her and from her in this project. It was such an honor to be in her presence tonight.... More to come on that in the review.

On the "stuff" subject ('cuz you gotta get the merch), we got ourselves a signed "yellow roses" litho, and I got a couple of shirts and a hat. Signed lithos were up to $200 from the previously-mentioned $175, with unsigned lithos priced at $50. I managed to snag a couple of the programs that were being handed out, too.

It was truly a night I will always remember. How could I ever thank her enough for all the joy she's brought us? An amazing experience.

---

MJF: "Once in awhile
In a big blue moon
There comes a night like this..."
-Joni Mitchell, "Night Ride Home"

It was the summer of 1978, I believe, when I last held a ticket to a Joni Mitchell show. Her concert scheduled at Colt State Park in Bristol, R.I. was cancelled, and my dream was dashed... I'll never quite forget how sad I was over this missed opportunity to experience Joni live under the stars. She has captivated me with her wit and creative genius since the release of "The Hissing of Summer Lawns". I had eventually made some sort of peace with that missed date. Somehow through the years, I guess Joni and I kept missing each other. Up until the release of her most recent masterpiece, "Both Sides Now", the thought of maybe never getting to see Joni perform was beginning to gel. She took care of all that tonight at the FleetBoston Pavilion in Boston, and in stunning form, she exceeded my every expectation.

Joni's performance of her current "Both Sides Now" album took on a brilliance that's hinted at on the CD, but not as fully revealed. Her voice shone, and soared, and shimmered, and simmered! Joni is clearly having the time of her life singing these tunes, and in live performance, she truly gave them something that no one else could give.... she gives them JONI. As she moved with the music, seemingly slow-dancing with it, romancing it, caressing it, she swept us all away on her journey through the stages of romantic love. This is her time to "put the guitar down, step away from the piano and just enjoy singing, y'know ...", she told her warm and affectionate Boston audience at the start of the show. And sing she did, in beautiful voice and with exquisite styling and nuance.

The FleetBoston Pavilion was the perfect venue for this production, with its beautiful outdoor harborside ambience enhanced by a cloudy and misty dusk sky. Joni's opening orange hooded ensemble illuminated the stage, as did her gracious smile and demeanor. Joni carried herself last night like a young girl who is very proud of a new dress, alternately showing off with a thrown-in scat or "doo-bee-doop", and giggling nervously to the audience, "...got carried away there!" Before almost every song in the now-standard set list for this tour, Joni stopped to address the crowd and introduce the song, taking interruptions from fans screaming her name and song titles in stride by simply saying "Much obliged", "Thank you", or "That's me!"

"Comes Love", "Be Cool", and "Trouble Man" were swinging testaments to Joni's jazzy "coolness", and she torched on torch classics like "You've Changed" and "Stormy Weather" with all of the passion and conviction of Lady Day. It was the performance of her own material, though, that brought the Boston crowd to its feet several times, with frenzied applause and with over 10 bouquets presented to her from the front of the stage. Her performance of "A Case of You", which had a little more rhythm behind it than her most recent re-recording of this song, was pure magic. Time literally seemed to hang in the balance as she brought this song achingly to life, and in its new incarnation here on BSN it works beautifully. Her new version of "Both Sides Now", performed in the second set of the show, seems to have taken on a whole new life and meaning. Standing awash in multi-colored light in her second-set black pleated ensemble, Joni sang this classic triumphantly, proudly... there weren't many dry eyes in my row at this point in the show.

It was the last set of five songs that I was looking forward to most of all: "Be Cool", "Judgement Of The Moon and Stars", "Hejira", "For The Roses" and "Trouble Man". Of these, I think I enjoyed "Judgement" the least; it sounded almost too grand and blasting as a full-out orchestral piece, losing much of its original intimate feel. "Hejira", however, was the jewel of the group. Bringing out Larry Klein (to yet another well-deserved standing ovation) to provide beautifully intricate bass work, Joni sashayed her way through this song's new rhythm and brought this piece to a new level of beauty and grace. I must say that during "For the Roses", when she pantomimed playing a guitar while singing the line about "the soundhole and your knee", I went absolutely cold. This song ("my I-hate-show-business song", she called it), was also beautifully done.

Joni complimented the orchestra of talented local musicians several times throughout the course of the show, saying she wished she could bring them along everywhere ("We get a new band in each city we go to, just like Chuck Berry!", she quipped). She was clearly pleased with their performance of the material, and told the audience at the show's end, "Thank you, Boston. I'll always remember this night! What a special night... thank you so much for your flowers!" Every reaction that I heard from individual audience members was overwhelmingly positive... there was no grumbling over the guitar's absence, and everyone here seemed more than willing to let Joni show us her latest work HER way.

For my part, I will always want to see Joni play a guitar, sing, or otherwise perform in ANY way she chooses. She is truly a legend and has earned my trust and respect as an artist and musician; I would happily follow her down any artistic road she leads us. This "Both Sides Now" show was the experience of a lifetime... I was honored to have been there and (finally!) enjoyed Joni's live magic. THANK YOU SO MUCH, Joni, for "a night like this" is one I will never forget.

---

Jacky: Well folk, I'm back in the UK and I've only just left. Hardly anyone noticed I was gone but what an amazing, incredible weekend! Two people were to blame for the May madness that took me from the Sussex countryside to Boston on Friday morning. The first was my husband whose response to my moaning "Joni's never going to come here again" was "Well why don't you go to the States to see her?" I told him he was being stupid but then the second culprit, the wonderful Ashara, put her oar in with an open invitation to we poor neglected Europeans to stay at her place for the Boston show. So how could I refuse? Oh, and since I was travelling so far I might as well go to Oakdale too. I didn't even bother telling most of my friends what I was doing because I knew they wouldn't understand. Those that I did tell were mostly stunned into silence or smiled weakly as they searched for words to humour me.

Anyway, both shows were stunning and the best experience ever. They were as glorious as they were glamorous and I'm so glad I went to both because, despite the identical program, they were so different in atmosphere. I loved the Oakdale venue - it was relaxed but sophisticated with beautiful lighting and comfortable seats. The audience were appreciative but so respectful of the spectacular performance. The Boston audience was louder and more demonstrative in its appreciation but, being semi-outdoor, the venue was cold and less comfortable. Then there were the outfits which I'm not going to dwell on - suffice it to say that she wore the unflattering "orange" for the first half at Boston. Joni was in tremendous voice and heart and clearly enjoyed both shows which was great but the Boston orchestra didn't look to be having a ball even though she kept commending them. Maybe they were too cold!

Having not read any posts for 5 days, I'm sure there have been many articulate reports of both shows so all I need to do is to tell you about the wonderful jmdlers I met and thank 3 of them especially. Firstly Heather for getting my ticket for Oakdale, organizing the pre-show meal and putting me up in her lovely house (thanks Fred too). Secondly, Maggie, for organizing the meal for 19 at the Seaport Hotel and especially for frog-marching Ashara off at the speed of light to talk to Larry Klein in the bar - she came back with an autographed program for me!) Thirdly, Ashara, for so many things. Fetching and carrying me to and from the airport, wonderful hospitality (and Sal, the great omelette chef), getting my ticket, showing me Newburyport (and Atty Mays), the autograph, driving me to Hartford and back, the great photographs and just everything! What a buzz. It was also such a great pleasure to meet Patrick blue-eyes, Kenny, Jenny, The Chilis and Simon (twice) and Linda at Oakdale. Loads more lovely people at Boston, too many to mention right now, but boy did I have a ball and special thanks to Barbara for lending me a warm fleece on a cold night. Lastly, at Oakdale I sat next to a delightful lady and great Joni fan called Molly who promised me she would join the list. If you have done, you are so welcome and please get in touch. You'll love it here! So lots of love to you all, it was so great to meet you at last,

---

Roberto: Hey y'all! I travelled from Vancouver, B.C. to Boston for Joni, and am I glad I did!! From my very good seat (thank you, ric!) I could do one of two things: appreciate Joni's artistry (which I did), and learn that planes take off from Logan airport every 90 seconds. Tailwinds were kind to me: I was prepared (because we had a stopover at O'Hare) to miss the concert altogether. But I got to Boston in time to check in to my hotel, meet ric and Marieve for dinner, and go to the concert.

I've never posted about BSN because I was a bit underwhelmed. Singing the songs live, more than halfway through her tour, Joni was amazing: her performance felt spontaneous, which is what I missed on the CD. Occasionally the huge orchestra overwhelmed her (it was essentially an outdoor venue, always an acoustical nightmare), but Joni was captivating and intense and always in the moment.

As Ashara has already mentioned, the audience was really kind of rude. People in our row kept pushing past us in mid-song to go get a beer (ric finally turned to me and remarked, "This is getting tedious!!"). I have to say that I'm still a bit lukewarm about the BSN CD. I wish she'd toured with this material before she recorded it, because she seemed so much more relaxed in Boston (and I gather she was even better in Connecticut) than she seems to be on the recording (just my opinion, folks ;-)

As so many people have said, the best thing was spending time with fellow JMDLers. After the show, we all met in the lobby (there was no room at the bar) of a fancy-schmantzy hotel. It was wonderful to see Ashara and Maggie again; longtime listers will already know that ric and I have become great friends offlist as well as on. It was great to see him again, and to meet Larry Klein in his company (ric got the autograph; I was too shy to do anything but shake hands with the ex-husband, musical director, and bass player of/for Joni Mitchell). The next day, many happy hours with two of my favorite people: Chuck E and Barbara. Looking so forward to seeing you guys again this Labor Day weekend!!

Speaking of fellow JMDLers, I spent three wonderful days in New York City, mostly in the company of lister Patrick Leader and once and future lister Kay Ashley. The three of us went to Judy's Chelsea to hear the extraordinary David Lahm and his extroardinarily talented wife Judy pay tribute to David's legendary mother, Dorothy Fields. It was a great evening! I recommend Judy's Chelsea to anyone visiting New York - even if the one and only David Lahm isn't performing, there will be a good pianist/singer entertaining at the bar, and they make one heck of a good martini (attention Kakki ;-)

What a great thing it was to travel to the East Coast and spend all my time with fellow JMDLers! This time, Joni was the icing on the cake..........

ps. as for Christgau, he's never liked "folkies" or singer-songwriters. With due (and considerable, and genuine) respect to David Wright, it's hard to take the guy seriously. I mean, he gives albums a letter grade, for f***ing out loud! Plus, even when he praised Joni, there was always a misogynistic feel about it. Just my opinion, folks, but it's very true ;-)