Joni Mitchell has made a rare live appearance, taking to the stage at the LA FireAid benefit show. Find footage of the set below.
The star-studded gig was held at the Kia Forum last night (January 30) after being announced earlier this month. It was developed as a way to provide financial support for the victims of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.
At the event, one of the most memorable moments came as iconic singer-songwriter made a rare appearance and took to the stage for a moving rendition of ‘Both Sides Now’.
Aged 81, the singer remained seated on a gold throne as she broke out the track from her 1969 album ‘Clouds’.
As highlighted by Consequence, the performance saw her joined by Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, as well as Lucius, Taylor MacKall, Blake Mills, and Abe Rounds. Find footage of the performance below.
joni mitchell singing both sides now at the fireaid LA benefit concert, 2025 pic.twitter.com/BNF0vAHwb1
— joni mitchell archive (@joniarchive) January 31, 2025
The appearance of Mitchell comes after the legendary artist has only made a select few live performances in recent years. The most recent of which was a set called the Joni Jam – her first headline show in Los Angeles in 24 years, where she broke out rarities that had not been played live in decades.
Before then, she delivered a moving set at the 2024 Grammy Awards ceremony, which led to a standing ovation from the audience.
Other highlights of the night included Billie Eilish and Green Day teaming up for a live rendition of ‘Last Night On Earth’, and No Doubt reuniting to play some of their hits.
More performances on the night came from Lady Gaga, Rod Stewart, Katy Perry, Sting, Stevie Nicks, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo and Peso Pluma, and it was confirmed that U2 had contributed $1m (£804,829) to the cause.
A big talking point from the show was when the surviving members of Nirvana made a surprise appearance, joined by St. Vincent, Kim Gordon, Joan Jett and Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet on vocals.
The night was hosted by Billy Crystal, who was among the thousands impacted by the fires. Visit here to donate.
As for other Joni Mitchell news, back in 2023 Cameron Crowe – who famously directed Almost Famous – revealed that he would be helming a biopic based on her life and career.
The film had been in development for several years by that point, with the two of them working together for at least two years.
Last October, the director gave an optimistic update on the project’s status, saying he hopes to have it completed by Christmas 2025.
Before then, it was reported that Meryl Streep – a close friend of Mitchell – was in talks to portray an older version of the singer-songwriter in the biopic, although neither Crowe, Streep or Mitchell confirmed the casting.
