Live at Carnegie Hall – 1969 is a live album by singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on November 12, 2021, by Rhino Records.[1] The album, which is the eighth overall release and the second live release of the Joni Mitchell Archives, features the storied, two-set recording that was captured at New York City's famed Carnegie Hall in 1969.[2] This separate live album was pressed exclusively on vinyl, and serves as a companion to Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968–1971), the box set from which its material is derived.[3]
Like its predecessor, Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968–1971) contains a number of recordings from Mitchell's personal archive, including a two-set recording of Joni's debut performance at the famed Carnegie Hall in New York City, New York on February 1, 1969. Her sold-out performance at the venue was attended by Bob Dylan and Graham Nash, and earned rave reviews in the press; Fred Kirby wrote in Billboard that Mitchell had "charmed a packed Carnegie Hall audience on Saturday ... Miss Mitchell doesn’t merely sing a song, the fine folk artist effectively interprets her material. And what a lineup of material! Beginning with 'Chelsea Morning' and ending with a medley of ‘The Circle Game’ and the new ‘Little Green,’ the outstanding material flowed."[4]
While discussing her career during the 1970s for Archives – Vol. 2, Joni recalled to Cameron Crowe about the night of her performance, specifically her experience with her parents and their thoughts about her garb of choice:
I flew my parents [Bill and Myrtle] in for the show. We walked over to Carnegie Hall from the Plaza Hotel. Graham was wearing a floor-length maxi coat, black velvet, but with a pink-and-white chiffon tie-dye scarf. And I was wearing a green-and-white plaid coat. I've still got it. It looked like something from a Dickens play. My mother was embarrassed to be seen with us![4]
In the liner notes for the vinyl release, Graham Nash also recounted his then-partner's clothing for her performance:
Joni had bought a long vintage skirt that was made for a parade. On the front, in colorful sequins, was a large American eagle, and on the back was ... a large artichoke. At some point earlier in the evening Myrtle said, 'Oh, Joan. Is that what you're going to wear at Carnegie Hall? They look like rags.'[4]
Mitchell's father defended her after her mother made the rags comment, saying she looked like a "queen" in her outfit. She was thankful for his support and love, and said he "gave back [herself]".[4] The design of the bald eagle found on the front of Joni's jacket from that evening is etched into the vinyl on the set's sixth side.[5]
