Joni Mitchell Had Somehow Never Performed At The Grammys Before Now, But She Finally Did This Year And It Was So Lovely

Joni Mitchell has had a more esteemed career than most, and she’s just about done it all. 1971’s Blue is frequently in conversations about the greatest albums of all time, she’s a member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and she’s won a good handful of Grammy Awards between 1969 and present day: Joni Mitchell At Newport (Live) was up for Best Folk Album and it won that award during the pre-show.

One thing she somehow hadn’t done before today, though, was perform at the Grammys. Now, at 80 years old, she’s done it, as she took the stage during this year’s ceremony to sing “Both Sides, Now” (which got renewed attention recently thanks to the movie Coda). She was accompanied by Lucius, Jacob Collier, Blake Mills, Brandi Carlile, and others. It was a stirring performance, with Mitchell owning the room as she and her collaborators were seated in ornate chairs and moody lighting. It was quite the showing and it deserved the standing ovation it got.

The performance was especially noteworthy considering Mitchell hasn’t spent a ton of time on stages in recent years. The 2022 Newport Folk Festival performance (the one captured on the aforementioned Grammy-winning album) was her first full concert since 2002. Notably, she had a brain aneurysm in 2015 that left her in rough shape. In a 2022 interview, she revealed that she had to re-learn how to play guitar.

Mitchell plans to take the stage again in the near future, too: Days ago, it was announced she and Brandi Carlile are playing a special Hollywood Bowl concert in October.

Check out Mitchell’s performance above. Find the full list of 2024 Grammy nominees and winners here.