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Wynonna Judd's Emotional Response To Joni Mitchell Singing 'Both Sides Now' Live Is All of Us
*The following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm.
Clips of music icon Joni Mitchell's first live set in nearly two decades have left people all over the world moved to tears--including fellow music legend Wynonna Judd.
Mitchell took the stage this past weekend at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island, the very festival that helped launch her groundbreaking music career back in the 1960s.
And given it was her first performance since a 2015 brain aneurysm nearly killed her and left her unable to speak, sing or play guitar for years, her performance has left nearly everyone who's watched it in tears.
But Judd, a music icon in her own right who lost her mother and longtime collaborator Naomi Judd to suicide in April, seemed particularly moved as she joined Mitchell and fellow singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile onstage for Mitchell's "Both Sides Now."
In video of the performance, Judd could be seen repeatedly wiping away tears throughout, and unless you're made of stone it's likely you will be too. See the performance below, but grab a tissue first.
Joni Mitchell “Both Sides Now” with Brandi Carlile Live at Newport Folk Festival, July 24, 2022youtu.be
We are all Wynonna Judd.
Judd is one of many music icons who have joined Mitchell at her home for private so-called "Joni Jams" in recent years, along with stars like Elton John and Harry Styles.
But Mitchell's performance in Newport was a surprise to many. After the aneurysm she suffered in 2015, Mitchell was left unable to speak or walk, and has had to reteach herself how to play guitar once she regained her motor skills.
Mitchell recently told CBS News that she retrained on guitar the way so many of us learn to play the instrument nowadays--using online videos.
"I'm learning. I'm looking at videos that are on the net to see where I put my fingers, you know."
She went on to say:
"It's amazing what an aneurysm knocks out – how to get out of a chair! You don't know how to get out of a bed. You have to learn all these things by rote again...a lot of going back to infancy almost. You have to relearn everything."
Judd's participation in the Newport performance is notable as well given that her mother's passing came just as they were about to embark on a farewell tour.
Judd decided to do the tour herself as a tribute to her mother, accompanied by a roster of special guests that includes Carlile, who organized Mitchell's Newport set.
On Twitter, people were undone--in the best way possible--by Judd's heartfelt moment with Mitchell and Carlile.
\u201c@JasonReidUK Poor Wynonna having a moment in the back for her mother, I'm sure.\u201d— Jason Reid (@Jason Reid) 1658741622
\u201c@KennethTharp Right? With Wynonna Judd behind mouthing "I'm not gonna make this." Everything.\u201d— Candace Allen (@Candace Allen) 1658746261
\u201cThe emotion from Wynonna and Brandi is all of us. \u2764\ufe0f\u201d— Tara Slone (@Tara Slone) 1658752586
\u201cThe four stages of watching Joni Mitchell singing at Newport. Wynonna you are all of us \u2764\ufe0f\ud83d\udc94\u201d— Highway Queens (@Highway Queens) 1658768690
\u201c@JasonReidUK Respect to Wynonna, for keeping it together when she was clearly overcome my the weight of life at that moment. \nAnd, Joni, singing this song, at this time, w. everything that\u2019s going on - it\u2019s heartbreakingly beautiful, and sad. That\u2019s what she does, though. She\u2019s a fkn master.\u201d— Jason Reid (@Jason Reid) 1658741622
\u201cIt\u2019s already poignant to see Joni Mitchell singing this song at the other side of her life from when she wrote it. But then, behind her, there\u2019s Wynonna Judd, who suddenly lost her mom and singing partner Naomi in April.\n\nMusic is powerful. Life is precious. Savor all of it.\u201d— Lindsay Barnes (@Lindsay Barnes) 1658763906
\u201cThis may be the most Wynonna thing Wynonna has ever Wynonna'ed, and I am alive in her purity of spirit.\u201d— Country Universe (@Country Universe) 1658770365
\u201cMe sobbing at Wynonna sobbing at @jonimitchell + @brandicarlile singing \u201cBoth Sides Now\u201d at @Newportfolkfest last night. \ud83d\ude2d What a moment.\u201d— MAREN MORRIS (@MAREN MORRIS) 1658754841
\u201cwynonna judd behind joni just absolutely in tears for obvious reasons \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\udc94\u201d— David Mack (@David Mack) 1658755576
\u201cWynonna Judd weeping in the background dot gif.\u201d— Louis Peitzman (@Louis Peitzman) 1658758430
Judd's participation in Mitchell's triumphant return to the stage after she nearly lost everything gives a new layer of meaning to what Judd told her fans back in April in the wake of her mother's passing.
"The show must go on, as hard as it may be, and we will show up together."
Amen to that.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/