Joni Mitchell unleashed a brief but clear attack on Donald Trump during her first Los Angeles show in 28 years.
The legendary singer-songwriter, 80, performed at the Hollywood Bowl on 19 and 20 October where she was joined by a rotating cast of backing band members – known as the Joni Jam – which included Brandi Carlile, Annie Lennox, Marcus Mumford, Allison Russell, Fleet Foxes’ Robin Recknold and Rita Wilson.
Together, the group performed a number of songs that Mitchell hadn’t played in years, in a 27-track setlist that included “Big Yellow Taxi”, “California”, “A Case of You”, “Both Sides, Now” and a cover of Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing”.
Mitchell previously covered the Elton John/Bernie Taupin standard when the songwriting duo were honoured with the prestigious Library of Congress Gershwin Prize.
After a rendition of “Dog Eat Dog” on Saturday (19 October) an audience member apparently shouted a diss against Trump.
Billboard reports that Mitchell responded: “‘F*** Donald Trump’, I love that song.” She later added: “I wish I could vote… I’m a Canadian. I’m one of those lousy immigrants.”
Carlile, addressing the 17,000-strong audience, said that “getting to serve Joni’s ambition tonight is probably one of the proudest moments of all of our lives”, according to the LA Times.
Mitchell’s return to live performances comes after she suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015, which left her temporarily unable to speak or walk.
After years out of the public eye, she stunned the world in 2022 when she made an unannounced return to the stage at the Newport Folk Festival, following that with an official headline gig last June at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington.
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During her first Hollywood Bowl show, Carlile revealed that the Joni Jams, initially held in Mitchell’s own living room “five or six years ago”, had helped the veteran artist heal.
Friends and fellow musicians had initially turned up to visit Mitchell and sung her own songs to her – she later began harmonising and singing along from her sofa.
Mitchell said she was “honoured” to have Carlile as a friend, crediting her with bringing her out of her “retirement”.
Trump has come under fire from a number of high-profile artists as he continues in his campaign for US president.
The Republican candidate was called out last week by Canadian folk artist Rufus Wainwright after he played his cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” during a chaotic town hall event.
Wainwright, whose version of “Hallelujah” was released in 2001 as part of the soundtrack for the animated film Shrek, called the song an “anthem dedicated to peace, love and acceptance of the truth. I’ve been supremely honoured over the years to be connected with this ode to tolerance.”
“Witnessing Trump and his supporters commune with this music last night was the height of blasphemy,” he said.
Elsewhere over the weekend, the daughter of late golfing legend Arnold Palmer responded to vulgar comments from Trump about her father.