This week, Joni Mitchell gave a rare live performance at the Library of Congress as part of the Gershwin Awards.
Mitchell appeared at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC on Thursday (March 2) as part of the Gershwin Prize Week hosted by the Organizing Committee. Footage from the event posted on social media shows Mitchell performing his 1966 hits “The Circle Game” and “Summertime” — see below.
The Canadian folk singer was in the library as part of the Live at the Library series in conversation with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. It became part of the events of the Gershwin Prize Week of the local organizing committee, at which Mitchell was also awarded the Gershwin Prize of the Library of Congress for a popular song.
After the event, Hayden shared a touching video of her and Mitchell leaving the library. In the video for “Both Sides Now”, the singer performed “Charleston Alley” performed by jazz icons Lambert, Hendrix and Ross.
The night before (March 1) Mitchell also graced the stage at the D.C. DAR Constitutional Hall. She performed the same two songs as part of an all-star tribute concert in her honor.
Among the performers of the evening were Mitchell’s former partner Graham Nash, her longtime friend James Taylor and Brandi Carlisle, who is headlining Mitchell’s big comeback show at the Gorge in George, Washington this summer.
Perfect way to end #GershwinPrize week – singing and dancing of course.
2023 honoree @jonimitchell sings her way out of the @librarycongress to Lambert, Hendricks & Ross’s classic “Charleston Alley.”
“Everything's right, And you can boogy all night…”https://t.co/uC39PD4zfs pic.twitter.com/0XhWW5CHsn— Carla Hayden (@LibnOfCongress) March 3, 2023
Bu gönderiyi Instagram’da gör
Cyndi Lauper also took to the stage and led a large group of artists through the “Big Yellow Taxi”. After that, Annie Lennox sang “Both Sides Now”. It is reported that Marcus Mumford , Diana Krall , Herbie Hancock , Ladyzy and Angelique Kijo also performed .
The show was held by invitation only, however, PBS stations will broadcast a concert titled “Joni Mitchell: Library of Congress Gershwin Award for Popular Song” at 21:00 Eastern Standard Time on Friday, March 31. For those who do not have access to PBS on TV. , the concert will also be broadcast on PBS.org and in the PBS app. An excerpt from the show was published by CBC (see above).
Mitchell is only the third woman to win the prize in its history. Speaking at the event, the Canadian broadcaster reported that Mitchell said, “This is just a great event for me. There are so many people here today that I care about, from different parts of my life… It’s just exciting. Thank you all for coming.”
