As the opening chord was struck at last night's concert, a pale
spotlight illuminated the figure of Joni Mitchell. Like the goddess of
ice, Mitchell was remote. But beneath the facade of coldness lurked
warmth and emotion and a sense of vulnerability that softly shaded her
performance.
At times, she lashed out, with harsh vocals and lyrics that mirrored the
heavily electrified versions of many of her most popular songs. Then,
standing alone, she became calm and introspective.
Her show (which will also be presented tonight) was like her music, with
shifting layers of mood and feeling. She allowed her musicians to
display their musical wares, with Jaco Pastorius unleashing a furious
bass barrage and percussionist Don Alias lapsing into a congo solo that
led into an African-like chant. On her second encore, she was joined by
the Persuasions for a do-wop sing-a-long on the rock 'n' roll classic,
"Why Do Fools Fall in Love." Her show was not packaged so much as
crafted.
At the end, she sang a haunting, sol version of "Woodstock," that was in
stark contrast to the rest of her performance. As she walked off stage,
quietly strumming her guitar, she left behind shivers of feeling that
played at the spines of her listeners.
Printed from the official Joni Mitchell website. Permanent link: https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1509
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