Library Rock's Backpages

Martyn Atkins (dir.): Joni 75 – A Birthday Celebration

Simon Warner, Rock's Backpages, March 2019

IT WAS A little ironic that the only live breath that Joni Mitchell exuded at her own 75th birthday celebration extinguished a single candle on her anniversary cake. The closing moments of the L.A. Music Center gig, staged in November 2018, also featured the concert cast in an ensemble version of 'Big Yellow Taxi' and its insistent refrain – "You don't know what you've got till it's gone" – had a potent resonance on an evening of happy musical returns.

Total word count of piece: 306

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