Joni Mitchell's music now belongs to Starbucks

Regarding my Joni photos

I'd be happy Kaitlin, to retell the story of how I got my photos of Joni, as best I can...

Twas a long time ago! March 5, 1974 to be precise, at the Anaheim Convention Center (just across the street from Disneyland!). I, and my friends who went, didn't have particularly good seats (although we were all ecstatic to be there!), so the trick to getting a few good photos was to get up and walk the gangway, which was above the stage (about halfway to the top of the venue). I learned this trick after failing to get any good photos of Bob Dylan and the Band on Feb. 14, 1974. I had a steely determination that night to get good photos come hell or high water (so to speak).

I was desperate to get a few good shots, so I took the chance of taking a walk and hoping for serendipity to smile on me. The walkway went around the full circumference of the venue, so it was a matter of just walking around until I got to a close vantage point, then take a shot if possible. Security was tight though, so I never could linger long before I was admonished to return to my seat...which I would agree to do, but just continue on orbiting the venue.

I believe the two similar color shots of Joni were probably the only pair of close shots that both worked. The other color shot of Joni with Tom Scott (and Roger Kellaway on piano) was another that had a second shot from that vantage point, but it was blurred. And the black and white shots were taken from my seat...so they are not technically good photos, but hey, this is Joni Mitchell, so I was just glad I could see who it was in the photos! I have more photos like the black and white shots, but haven't had time to scan them yet (I scan now only from the original negatives).

These were taken on the "Court and Spark" tour, which is one of my favorite albums of all time (although I love all of her albums...although I must admit that "Mingus" is a little hard to listen to). "Court and Spark" was clearly Joni's greatest commercial success. She even made the cover of Time magazine that year, as a result of the success of the album and tour. This was Joni on top of the world, at her very best. She's always been a high end talent, but I think that tour probably surprised even her, for it's massive commercial and critical success.

I saw her one other time on May 23, 1998 with Bob Dylan and Van Morrison. They were great, but I went for Joni, and was NOT disappointed. She'd lost a lot of her high vocal range in the ensuing years (probably as a result of being a lifelong smoker), but I was still so in awe of that woman. She brought tears to my eyes that night. And the strangest thing of all about that night was, it was maybe a mile from the Anaheim Convention Center where I'd seen her 23 years before! This concert was at the Anaheim Pond (a hockey arena).

Matt

p.s. If you'd care to read a review I did of the 1998 concert, it is pasted in (from Joni's site) below....

(From:Matthew S. Gibbons - My primary purpose in going to the concert at the Pond was to see Joni. Bob and Van, for me, were icing on the cake. As it turned out, they were all great, but Joni was the highlight of the evening, in every respect. This was the second time that I had seen Joni in concert, and ironically, the other time was only a few miles down the road at the Anaheim Convention Center, in March of 1974...the Court and Spark tour. As great as Joni was then (and she was beyond excellent), she has only gotten better with time...as with a fine wine!

While Joni doesn't seem quite able to hit those high notes anymore (the ones that were so easy in her youth), she more than makes up for it in her inventiveness and pure soul. I suspect that her lifelong love of smoking cigarettes has taken a toll on the range of her wonderful pipes. Be that as it may, her voice still sends chills... the great kind of chills.

I am unable to quote all of the song titles she did in her nearly 70 minute set, primarily because I wasn't taking notes. Also, her set seemed to go by in about a minute...it was one of those magical experiences where you feel as if you blink you'll miss it. I was so "in the moment" that it all seems like a dream now. There were however, a few songs that are burned into my memory, the impressions of which, I will now recount.

The opener, Night Ride Home, established the incredible sound that was to last throughout the set. I was a bit surprised to see what appeared to be a Parker Fly guitar being used by Joni...unless that was some variation on the VG-8? I don't think so though, since the VG-8, if I'm not mistaken, is a variation on the basic Stratocaster shape, and this was definitely cut exactly like a Parker Fly. I have the no. 44 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine from Aug.'96, with Joni on the cover, and there is an extensive article about how she was using the VG-8 to conquer the difficulties she has had with alternate tunings in a live setting...apparently one of the reasons she had toured so seldom in the last couple of decades. Anyone interested in that issue will find a copy of the cover and a description of the contents at http://www.acousticguitar.com/issues/ag44/ag44.html.

"Harry's House" from Hissing of Summer Lawns was a major one for me, since that is perhaps my favorite song from that album. She did it early in her set, perhaps the 3rd song? I was waiting for, and was major goosebumped, when she sang my favorite line from that song..."A Helicopter lands on the Pan Am roof, Like a dragonfly on a tomb"... the imagery of that line struck me in a major way, from the first time I heard it (when "Hissing..." was first released). Such a striking metaphor! I never dreamed I'd hear her do it live...what a thrill! It was so incredible, that I even got over the fact that she did not include "Centerpiece", as it was done on the album. I even turned to my friend as the Centerpiece change approached and said "and the change!"...and there was no tempo or key change....Harry's House continued. Believe me when I say, I got over it!

Let's see now, one of the others I can think of was "Just Like This Train", which took me back to the other time I had seen her in 1974, when that song was new. Brilliant imagery again..."I used to count lovers like railroad cars, I counted them on my side"...and "Kids with the jitters in their legs, And those wide, wide open stares"...just great to hear in person! All of Joni's music is special, but, and perhaps it's because I saw her then, Court and Spark has a special place for me.

"Amelia" and "Black Crow" were so great I had to fight back tears. These tunes made me remember the great collaboration that Joni had with Jaco Pastorious, a man so brilliant and so troubled. I know Joni learned so much from him. So sad that someone so gifted would end so badly. But his influence on the direction of Joni's musical odyssey is reflected beautifully in these songs.

I guess the reaction was to be expected, when she did Hejira and sang the Frank Sinatra.lyric...the audience applauded on that one. And of course, the place went nuts when she started up on "Big Yellow Taxi". But it seemed to me that the audience was generally a little cool toward Joni. Not too cool, there was a good response, but it seemed that most were not there for her...which made me a bit sad when I could hear and see the brilliance of this performance and know that she should have had a more rousing response. As I said, she got a good response, and she seemed to really be enjoying herself, but people should have been louder, more appreciative of her...god knows this was a rare night! I did what I could, and came away with a thrashed voice, but it was worth it...somebody had to do it!

"Sex Kills" was another stand out, although I think most of the audience wasn't all that familiar with this song, since it is from her most recent album. Her explanation about the bumper sticker that said Just Ice got peoples attention and set up the song beautifully.

I don't recall the final song before the encore, but I was left with a wonderful impression of Joni when she, and the band started to exit to the left (from the audience pov) and then realized that they needed to go the other way and it appeared she was almost giggling as she ran back the other way, almost like a little girl would...so charming from one so worldly and wise. Then the encore, which got the audience going, "Woodstock"...everybody in the place knew that song and responded accordingly. The only thing that disappointed me a little was that the audience didn't try hard enough for a second encore...if you want it, you've got to earn it, especially from one so giving and special. But the audience couldn't muster the noise...sadly. Still, it was a lifetime experience, and I was as happy as I could have been about the whole thing. She could have played all night and it wouldn't have been enough...so I can't be upset about not getting a second encore. The concert was a treasure, period.

Matt Gibbons