Joni Mitchell No-Show at Music for Youth Benefit

by Teresa Saunders
Stratford Beacon Herald
February 16, 2006

I attended the Cowboy Junkies/Colin James concert at the Festival Theatre recently. I don't wish to speak on the artists' performances but to sound off on an issue raised by Margo Timmins regarding Joni Mitchell's absence at a concert in her honour held at Carnegie Hall two nights previous (Feb. 1). The Cowboy Junkies were among the artists performing their renditions of Ms. Mitchell's songs to pay homage to the artist and to express how her work had influenced them. Also on the bill were Shawn Colvin, Suzanne Vega, Marc Cohn, Laurie Anderson, Joseph Arthur, Tracy Chapman, Judy Collins, eels, Amy Grant, Bebel Gilberto, Bettye LaVette, M'shell N'degeocello, Jimmy Scott, Neil Sedaka, Dar Williams, Wood Brothers, Michelle Williams, Joanne Shenandoah, Nellie McKay and others.

The Carnegie Hall concert was to benefit Music For Youth (MFY), a non-profit initiative whose goal is one of "giving back" to the cause of maintaining music education and exposure for young people. MFY seeks out and funds quality programs and creates scholarship opportunities for exceptionally talented youth who choose to make music their life's work, thereby helping to sustain the next generation of artists and teachers.

To quote MFY president Charlie Feldman, "We are so grateful to Joni Mitchell for lending her support to this event. The funds raised will help Music For Youth fulfil its mission to make music education available to children who would not otherwise receive it."

VIP tickets for this event were $225 US (with other price levels available). I am inclined to think those ticket holders would not have been impressed with Ms. Mitchell's excuse that her cat was sick. What of the performing artists and their reaction? To quote Margo Timmins, who is as much an animal lover as a person could be, in expressing her disappointment, "I've been stood up before but never for a cat."

C'mon, she's Joni Mitchell! She could have flown in her cat and a vet and been there to let these artists pay tribute to her and her work. She could have lent her support, not merely her name, to the cause of quality music education. She could have made a statement about heroes and mentoring. She could have represented the arts in Canada. Shame on her!