Eagle Rock EntertainmentA new home video featuring Joni Mitchell‘s full performance at the U.K.’s historic 1970 Isle of Wight Festival will be released on Blu-ray and digitally on September 14. Joni Mitchell Both Sides Now: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival was directed by the Oscar-winning filmmaker Murray Lerner, who completed the movie shortly before his death in September 2017.
The film captures Joni playing an 11-song set that included such classic tunes as “Chelsea Morning,” “Woodstock,” “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Both Sides Now.” The performance is interspersed with interview footage of Mitchell recorded years later reflecting on her show and the festival, as well as behind-the-scenes clips and interviews with people attending the event.
Mitchell was one of the many music legends who performed at the festival, which was held from August 26 to August 31. The event was attended by hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom did not purchase tickets and expected to be allowed to see the performances for free. Joni’s set was interrupted multiple times, including once by a man who jumped onstage and began yelling political slogans to the audience. Mitchell responded by pleading with the crowd to show respect to the performers.
“There was this sense that the artists had all sold out. It was the ‘hate the performer’ festival,” Joni comments in one interview segment about how the audience treated the music acts. “I said, ‘Have some respect,’ and they did. They were quiet.”
Check out a trailer for the flick at Eagle Rock’s official YouTube channel.
Here’s Mitchell’s full set list from the festival:
“That Song About the Midway”
“Chelsea Morning”
“For Free”
“Woodstock”
“My Old Man”
“California”
“Big Yellow Taxi”
“Both Sides Now”
“Gallery”
“Hunter”
“A Case of You”
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.