The race for tickets begins: Joni Mitchell will perform first headlining show in decades
As spring turns to summer, many of us are looking forward to our first live music festival: it’s the chance to see the best in music in the world. And for a bunch of local artists, that means the chance to catch Joni Mitchell, whose new show is not just the first of her career in 25 years to be free to the public in the same year of a concert season, but will be the first of her career in more than 50 years to feature a headliner whose performance will be broadcast on the radio.
The last time a major music act performed first at a major music festival was Bob Dylan, who went on to become one of the most recognizable and beloved singers of all-time. Back then, Dylan played the Monterey Pop Festival, on the California coast, in 1969.
As we all watch Joni Mitchell perform on Friday, June 12, at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, it’s great to be reminded that some of today’s most popular music acts are first-timers.
“It’s absolutely incredible, to see what a legend was,” said Mitchell’s husband/manager, Peter Asher, backstage at the festival. “I think what’s happening with Joni is one of the first times in her life, and maybe the first time in her career, she’s free to do anything she wants to do. So that’s such a great thing.
“I’ve been in this band a long time and I have to say it’s a huge privilege to have this opportunity with her.”
Mitchell’s show will not just be the most important concert of the year for this musical artist, but of her career. It’s a historic first for Mitchell, the first time in almost 50 years that an act of any kind has headlined her first free show at a major music event.
“I think there’s actually a lot of power to Joni,” said Peter Asher. “She is a very powerful force. She has the ability
