Joni Mitchell Hosts All-Star ‘Joni Jams’ Featuring Deep Cuts Galore At Hollywood Bowl

Joni Mitchell dug deep into her repertoire on Saturday and Sunday, as she presented a pair of star-studded “Joni Jam” concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The shows marked the legendary musician’s first full concerts in L.A. since 2000 and lengthiest performances since suffering an aneurysm in 2015.

Brandi Carlile has been helping Mitchell curate each “Joni Jam” played over the past few years and did go again this past weekend serving as the emcee of the concerts. Jon Batiste, Celisse, Jacob Collier, Lisa Coleman, Taylor Goldsmith, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth, Annie Lennox, Lucius, Taylor Mackall, Wendy Melvoin, Blake Mills, Marcus Mumford, Robin Pecknold, Abe Rounds, Allison Russell, Sista Strings and Rita Wilson also performed with Mitchell as part of each “Joni Jam.” Additionally, Joni’s companions Marcy Gensic and Sauchuen Yu were also on stage for portions of both concerts.

On Sunday, Elton John and Meryl Streep joined the festivities for a performance of Elton’s 1983 hit “I’m Still Standing.” The “Joni Jam” musicians covered the song sans Elton and Meryl on Saturday night.

Joni Mitchell played the same 27 songs each night as part of two-set concerts that included three live debuts and a heaping helping of cuts Mitchell hadn’t performed in decades. The live premieres were “Harlem In Havana” off 1998’s Taming The Tiger, “The Sire of Sorrow (Job’s Sad Song)” off 1994’s Turbulent Indigo and “If I Had A Heart” off 2007’s Shine.

Mitchell kept the breakouts from the start of each show with the first “Be Cool” since 2000 chosen as the opener. Next came the “Harlem in Havana” debut and “Hejira,” the title track from her landmark 1976 LP, which was last played 24 years prior. Fellow Hejira cuts “Amelia,” “Coyote” (last played in 2001) and “Refuge Of The Road” (last played in 1998) also made the setlists.

Other bust outs included “Cherokee Louise” (first time since 1995), “God Must Be A Boogie Man” (first time since 1983), “Sunny Sunday” (first time since 1995), “The Magdalene Laundries” (first time since 1998) and “Dog Eat Dog” (first time since 1985). While Joni sang most songs, Mumford fronted “California” and Lennox led the way on “Ladies Of The Canyon.”

Joni Mitchell also treated fans to plenty of her most well-known classics such as “Both Sides, Now,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” “A Case Of You” and “The Circle Game.” The format was similar to other “Joni Jams” with Mitchell sitting in a throne surrounded by the supporting cast seated on couches and other chairs.

Mitchell took a few minutes to share her political views with the U.S. presidential election just a few weeks away. Billboard recapped the portion of Saturday’s show taking aim at former president Donald Trump, noting:

When a member of the crowd shouted out a Trump diss, Mitchell chuckled and took a moment to give her piece. “’F–k Donald Trump’ – I love that song,” Mitchell said, unexpectedly referencing YG’s 2016 hip-hop banger “FDT.” It didn’t come out of nowhere – Mitchell had just sung “Dog Eat Dog,” a track about powerful people who “lie, cheat, skim, scam,” and after the lyric about “big-wig financiers,” Mitchell tossed out the aside, “Like Donald Trump.” She went in deeper after the song wrapped, putting in her two cents on the Republican presidential candidate. “F–k Donald Trump,” Mitchell reiterated. “Everybody get out and vote. This is an important one. I wish I could vote – I’m Canadian. I’m one of those lousy immigrants,” she said, cackling. At that point, nearly everyone in the 17,000-strong crowd was on their feet applauding.

Watch fan-shot video from the “Joni Jam” concerts at the Hollywood Bowl below: