Revisit Joni Mitchell’s groundbreaking magic at Wembley in 1983
When thinking about a Joni Mitchell gig, the image that comes to my mind is an intimate one. I want to go back in time and see her play in a small space, a cafe, a little stage. Or, I think of one of the iconic festivals, wanting to return to a moment like Newport Folk Festival in 1967, or The Isle of Wight in 1970.
Something about Mitchell in an arena feels odd, but in 1983, when the artist took to the stage of Wembley Arena, that’s a show to daydream about.
However, the visions of Mitchell and intimacy make sense. For a long time, that was probably the most defining characteristic of her work. While she protests against the label of ‘confessional’, not wanting her work to merely be seen as a diary entry, ‘intimate’ works, on her earliest albums, the codified personal images that populate her songs fill her work with a closeness. The songs feel tender and individual, and alongside the sound of her gentle acoustic guitar, they foster the kind of listening experience that does feel intimate.
That’s partly why her most recent iteration of live shows feels so special. As she made her return to the stage after a lengthy hiatus following illness, the Joni Jam set up that sees her surrounded by friends and fellow musicians is both inward and social, honouring the way her personal music has touched so many.
But people often forget the breadth of the journey Mitchell has been on. People still see her as her 1960s self, with the long, flowing blonde hair and a fringe, solo, up on stage with nothing but an acoustic guitar in one of her unique tunings. But that’s only a tiny segment of her story.
By the late 1970s and early ‘80s, she was a whole different type of artist. She’d moved through a more electronic phase, had a jazz period where she collaborated with the iconic Charles Mingus, and was now a mix of everything. In 1983, she’d just released Wild Things Run Fast, a pivot to a more pop-led sound, but would have been working on Dog Eat Dog, which was a further evolution, with Mitchell not even touching her guitar and sticking to keys and synths instead.
What makes the Wembley show so fascinating is the fact that she does all of this at once, spanning her entire career, honouring every phase while also never once devolving. She doesn’t pick up an acoustic guitar once, yet renditions of earlier tracks like ‘Free Man in Paris’ and ‘Carey’, played on a lap guitar, are stunning, bringing together old and new.
There are some facts that almost don’t need stating, like how Mitchell’s voice is truly incredible in this era, being both acrobatic still, but also settling into a velvety depth. It also doesn’t really need stating that her musicality and her band are of absolute gold quality because they always were, and a musician like Mitchell would never accept anything less.
However, the most hypnotic aspect of the show, alongside the range of material she chooses for her setlist, is the obvious joy she finds in playing these songs. This is a musician clearly enjoying where she’s at in her career after a complex journey to get there, and because of that, the odd image of such an intimate artist on such a huge stage makes sense.
