Photo Credit: Dean Budnick
Over the weekend, Brandi Carlile brought her Echoes Through The Canyon event to The Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Wash. The two-day occurrence picked up on Friday, June 9. It featured a headlining set provided by Carlile, who brought out guests to assist with choice numbers, including Lucius, Sarah McLachlan, Allison Russell and Annie Lennox. The aforementioned artists and others returned to the stage on Saturday, June 10, for Joni Mitchell’s highly anticipated frame, dubbed the Joni Jam–which marked the esteemed musician’s first ticketed performance in 23 years.
The Joni Jam consisted of fan favorites and cherished numbers plucked from across the artist’s extensive repertoire, including “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Night Ride Home,” which served as the first songs before the arrival of the first guest, Celisse Henderson, who helped out on “Raised on Robbery.” Next, Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith showed up for “Come in From the Cold” before his longtime collaborator, Blake Mills, filled his slot on stage for “Amelia,” which saw Mitchell strum the guitar to accompany her guest.
“Carey” was played prior to “Sex Kills,” which featured Henderson on vocals and guitar. A seasonally fitting cover of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” brought Ben Lusher out on piano before Lennox helped with the night’s rendition of “Ladies of the Canyon.” Henderson took the stage one last time to assist on “Help Me,” followed by Mitchell’s take on “Where There’s a Will There’s A Way,” sans guests. Another cover came next, consisting of The Clover’s “Love Potion No. 9.”
As the night’s company meandered on and off stage, a special moment unfolded with Carlile’s arrival. “The Story” singer and Marcus Mumford assisted with “A Case of You.” As the main set started to come to a close, the event’s final guests descended on stage for their special moments with Mitchell, one of which included just Carlile, who helped out on “Shine” before the headliner closed the frame with “Both Sides Now” and “The Circle Game.”
Unsurprisingly, the crowd’s delighted cheers brought Mitchell back out for her encore, which got underway with an instrumental version of “Just Like This Train,” led by her veteran guitar riffs, which continued into “If.” Then, for the final song of the Joni Jam, Mitchell was joined by Allison Russell on clarinet during their take on the Frank Sinatra original, “Young At Heart.”
Scroll down to view the setlist via setlist.fm.
Joni Mitchell
The Gorge Amphitheatre – Quincy, Wash.
June 10, 2023
Set: Big Yellow Taxi, Night Ride Home, Raised on Robbery (Celisse Henderson), Come in From the Cold (Taylor Goldsmith), Amelia (Blake Mills), Carey, Sex Kills (Celisse Henderson), Summertime (Ben Lusher), Ladies of the Canyon (Annie Lennox), Help Me (Celisse Henderson), Where There’s A Will There’s A Way, Love Potion No. 9, A Case Of You (Brandi Carlie, Marcus Mumford), A Strange Boy (Wendy & Lisa), Cactus Tree (Lucius), Blue (Sarah McLachlan), Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Shine (Brandi Carlile), Both Sides Now, The Circle Game
Enc.: Just Like This Train, If, Young At Heart (Allison Russell)