For over 20 years, Joni Mitchell hasn’t given a full concert to a live audience, one she knew she was coming to.

Things look to change Saturday night when the 79-year-old singer-songwriter heads the Gorge Amphitheater on Washington’s Columbia River. The show follows Mitchell’s unannounced appearance at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival seven years after suffering from a debilitating brain aneurysm that left him unable to move or speak. be.

In this instant-classic Newport gig, modeled after the so-called Joni Jam hosted by host Brandi Carlyle in his recent home in Bel Air, Mitchell and Carlyle sat in glittering armchairs while Mitchell sang and played. , surrounded by friends and fans. “Help Me,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Both Sides Now,” “The Circle Game,” and “A Case of You” made her an American songwriter in the 1970s. Played guitar on some of the unforgettable songs made by the giants of the world. (The live album is scheduled to be released next month.)

Saturday’s show, part of Carlyle’s annual Echoes Through the Canyon event in the canyon, is expected to be similar. Among the artists slated for the three-day festival are Marcus Mumford, Alison Russell, Lucius of Dawes, Blake Mills and Taylor Goldsmith. But Carlyle also promises a surprise. Playing her own set on Friday night, the folk rock star brought out Sarah McLachlan and Annie Lennox for an unexpected duet.

The Times’ Mikael Wood and Amy Kaufman are in the Gorge to provide live concert updates.

6:13 p.m. Hello from the canyon. Joni fever is so high that a woman playing “California” on a dulcimer in a parking lot drew quite an enthusiastic onlooker.

I’m Mikael Wood, The Times pop music critic. I was with Times columnist Amy Kaufman onstage last night to meet what Brandi Carlyle described as “probably the greatest living legend on the planet.”

Highly rated? No doubt. But something has definitely moved in Carlyle’s Joni fandom over the past few years, and it’s bucking the massive surge in appreciation of Mitchell’s groundbreaking work by the likes of Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers. there is

Curious to see who among Mitchell’s many famous fans to be announced tonight, but the real draw, of course, is Joni herself – I, and many other artists, will never see her perform again. The artist I was thinking of. — Michael Wood

6:32 p.m. I’ve always heard that you must see a show at the Gorge before you die, and once you drive to this remote venue in Washington, it’s easy to see why. Think Hollywood Bowl. However, it overlooks a huge, majestic expanse, the Columbia River winding between the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

Going to the canyon is a special experience in itself. If coming from Seattle, it will take him at least two and a half hours by car. Campgrounds are available on site, but most concertgoers stay in the town of Wenatchee, an hour away.

As we get closer and closer to the venue, traffic decreases and cattle pastures appear more frequently. Over 27,000 people will hang out on the stage lawn as tonight’s Joni Jam sold out.

The audience is mostly baby boomers and there is a lot of eclectic attire. I saw a woman wearing a hippie ensemble that is always sold at Halloween stores.

We are keeping an eye on our special guests who have traveled here. Rumor has it that tonight’s show will be reminiscent of Mitchell’s surprise appearance at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival. Brandi Carlisle will kick off with an acoustic set at 7pm, while Joni and his friends will be on at 9pm. Considering Carlyle’s set last night, Annie Lennox, Sarah McLachlan and Marcus Mumford are likely appearances. — Amy Kaufman

7:45 p.m. “I’m Brandi Carlisle. I’m from here in Washington,” tonight’s opening slash facilitator says to begin the set, before telling the crowd, “I’m here tonight for the same reason you are.” “The Greatest Songwriter Who Lives.” — MW

7:53 p.m. Joni Mitchell always knew how to wear a beret. She’s worn them since the beginning of her career, from the 1976 cover of “Hejira” to last year’s Grammy Awards. She’s selling a red beret at The Tonight Show. Her hats are $45 each and have her signature embroidered in gold.

But a group of 10 girls traveling from New Orleans to tonight’s show didn’t need merch.

The women who I thought were the beret corps had ordered colorful hats long before the show. A group of Mitchell fans ranging in age from 50 to 79 decided to rent a house near the canyon even before securing tickets to the show.

“Beret Brigade”

(Amy Kaufman/Los Angeles Times)

But when tickets went on sale to the public, none of the women were able to secure them. After all, the owner of the house they were renting had his own box at the venue and gave it to them at face value.

“She was the soundtrack to our childhood,” said group senior Gene Hannan. “This is like a dream come true.

Actor Tracy Middendorf, who assembled a local Louisiana gang for the trip, said he expected a surprise appearance from Graham Nash or Paul Simon.

“I heard them playing” [Crosby Stills & Nash’s] “I wish hopelessly” [Simon and Garfunkel’s] ‘Sound of Silence’ came through our house during soundcheck, so we might be a surprise guest,” Middendorf said. — AK

20:00 Stars flock to Mitchell even 1,000 miles away from LA. When Carlisle took the stage, he found Paul Scheer and his wife June Diane Raphael rushing to their seats. And then there was “Sitt’s Creek” star Dan Levy. When he asked why he traveled, Levi pointed to a breathtaking view.

“Isn’t that obvious?” he replied. — AK

8:11 p.m. Editing the lyrics of Carlyle’s song “The Mother” on the spot, he confirms the name of his eldest daughter, Evangeline, and says, “I am also Elijah’s mother.” The singer explains that two of Carlyle’s children are also in the audience tonight, so Elijah is always asking why she can’t speak up. — MW

8:16 p.m. Another Carlyle Femme cameo: The singer’s wife, Katherine Shepard, joined Carlyle with an acoustic guitar for the Grammy-nominated (and very Joni-esque) “You and Me on the Road”. He performed a simple performance of “The Rock”. — MW

8:29 pm Carlyle pauses the set and advises the audience about what we’re about to experience. “It’s not like someone comes here and sings song after song,” she says. Instead, Carlyle compared Joni Jam to a snow globe and what life was like when Mitchell, with the encouragement of her friends and successors, re-learned how to play music at home. can know The show is going to be long, she warns—breaking the deal. Some folks may be enjoying Mitchell’s solo mix of tributes and covers. “You’re going to see things you’ve never seen before,” says Carlisle. — MW