Wynonna Judd was one of many deeply moved by Joni Mitchell’s return to the stage.
On Sunday night, the country singer grew emotional as she watched Mitchell perform her 1969 classic “Both Sides Now” at the Newport Folk Festival.
In a video captured by a fan in the audience, Mitchell, 78, is seen sitting onstage with Brandi Carlile by her side and Judd behind her as she sings the seminal tune. Judd, 58, can be seen singing along and wiping away tears from her eyes.
The “Why Not Me” singer was one of several performers who joined Mitchell on stage for a recreation of her private “Joni Jams,” which Mitchell has hosted at her home in recent years with stars like Elton John and Harry Styles.
At Newport, Mitchell was joined by stars like Judd, Marcus Mumford, Allison Russell and Brandi Carlile, who curated and organized the set.
Mitchell’s performance was a surprise to many, as it was her first full set in more than 20 years. During the show, she also sang fan favorites like “A Case of You” and “Big Yellow Taxi” — something she feared she’d never be able to do again after she suffered a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 2015.
Gabe Ginsberg/Getty; Lester Cohen/WireImage Wynonna Judd and Joni Mitchell
“I’ve never been nervous about being in front of an audience,” Mitchell later told CBS News. “But I want it to be good. And I wasn’t sure I could be. But I didn’t sound too bad tonight!”
The performance marked her first full set since she headlined a benefit concert in Los Angeles in 2002, and her first public performance since 2013, when she sang briefly at a concert tribute in Toronto, according to her website.
The singer told CBS News that after her aneurysm, she had to teach herself to play the guitar again, among other skills.
“I’m learning,” she said. “I’m looking at videos that are on the net to see where I put my fingers, you know. It’s amazing what an aneurysm knocks out – how to get out of chair! You don’t know how to get out of a bed. You have to learn all these things by rote again. I was into water ballet as a kid, and I forgot how to do the breaststroke. Every time I tried it, I just about drowned, you know?. So, a lot of going back to infancy almost. You have to relearn everything.”
Meanwhile, Judd recently made a memorable appearance at Nashville’s CMA Fest during Carly Pearce’s set. Together, they sang The Judds’ 1984 hit “Why Not Me,” with performance coming just weeks after Judd lost her mom and duet partner, Naomi Judd.
Since her mother’s unexpected death in April, she announced The Judds’ previously scheduled Final Tour would still go on. The tour is set to kick off in September and will wrap in October.
“I’ve made a decision, and I thought I’d share it on national television that, after a lot of thought, I’m gonna have to honor her and do this tour,” she told CMT viewers at home in May during Naomi’s tribute event. “The show must go on, as hard as it may be, and we will show up together, and you will carry me as you’ve carried me for 38 years … So we will continue this spectacle. That’s what she would want, right?”
Judd also released a hopeful collaboration with indie rocker Waxahatchee titled “Other Side” in May.
