It’s been nine years since Joni Mitchell last sang in public, and 20 years since she last performed a full concert.
Mitchell nearly died of a brain aneurysm in 2015, but the Canadian folk icon shocked and surprised fans on Sunday when he appeared at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island to perform a bunch of his classic songs with the help of some very famous friends.
The closing set had been billed as a performance by “Brandi Carlile and friends,” but Carlile had other plans.
It gave center stage to the 78-year-old singer who performed 13 songs as part of a “Joni Jam,” a public performance of the private concerts Mitchell has hosted at her Los Angeles home in recent years with guests who have included Elton John, Dolly Parton, Harry Styles and Chaka Khan.
“Holy Ish dude I opened for @JoniMitchell today me! KING #JONIMITCHELL!!!!! YO!!!!!!!!,” wrote Questlove, who performed with his band the Roots, before Mitchell appeared on stage, an Instagram shows Carlile announcing to the crowd that Mitchell would appear.