Joni Mitchell fans tear up over 80-year-old’s first-ever Grammys performance

‘Her outfit is exactly what I want to wear when I am 80’

Joni Mitchell has earned praise for the outfit she chose for her first-ever performance on the Grammys stage.

On Sunday 4 February, Mitchell, 80, took to the stage at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, for a stunning performance of her 1966 song “Both Sides Now”.

For the occasion, Mitchell, who is nominated for Best Folk Album for her 2023 LP Joni Mitchell at Newport [Live], wore a black velvet matching set consisting of a coat, top, and pants embroidered with gold celestial motifs.

She completed the look with her iconic blonde braids and black beret, a beaded necklace with green stones, and a black cane with a diamond-encrusted tiger head.

On social media, and inside the Grammys theatre, the 80-year-old singer’s first-ever Grammys performance was met with applause, with many viewers moved to tears.

The “River” singer’s outfit choice was also met with praise, with one person describing the look as “Dumbledore but feminine”.

“Gorgeous gorgeous Joni Mitchell performance (but also, her outfit is exactly what I want to wear when I am 80, a LOOK),” another person wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, while someone else said: “Joni Mitchell and company serving Hunger Games with the outfits …. Love.”

(Getty Images)

(Getty Images for The Recording A)

Others took the opportunity to praise Mitchell’s accessories, with one person writing: “I swear I think Joni Mitchell could do Gandalf stuff with that sweet a** cane.”

“The Joni Mitchell performance was so beautiful! She looked so pretty wearing her black hat and holding her bada** cane while she was singing,” someone else tweeted.

During Mitchell’s performance, the camera panned to the audience, where attendees such as Meryl Streep were seen becoming emotional.

The Canadian singer has made only a handful of live performances after she suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015.

Following her hospitalisation in 2015, much attention was placed on Mitchell’s rare condition, known as Morgellons disease. The little-known skin condition is characterised by patients as having biting and stinging sensations under the skin. However, the controversial condition has raised eyebrows among the medical community, many of who believe that its symptoms are caused by a psychiatric disorder.

You can find all of the best-dressed stars on the Grammys red carpet here and follow along with all of the latest updates from the ceremony here.