One of my more significant exes was quite a devotee of Joni Mitchell.  While I had a passing interest in the Canadian songstress, I was more of a Joan Baez kinda guy – as evidenced by my signature rendition of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”.  After a brain aneurysm in 2015, Joni hasn’t performed publicly.  In fact, she’s barely walked publicly.  She has, however, had numerous gatherings at her home where singers and musicians have gathered to “jam” – and, recently, she’s taken baby steps and cautiously joined in.  She took a giant step forward last week when Joni Jams took to the stage at the Newport Folk Festival.  Under the leadership of Brandi Carlile, Joni sang, played the guitar, and luxuriated alongside her younger colleagues.  It’s fascinating that Mitchell singing more than an octave lower with the thread of a voice is being lauded while Barbra, who occasionally lowers songs by a few keys, is criticized.  Perhaps if she had a stroke…

Adele has announced new dates for her Las Vegas residency.  She will now play Caesars Palace November 18^th through March 25^th, and tickets start at over $1K!  My advice is to sit this one out.  In the words of George W. Bush, “Fool me once, shame on – shame on you.  Fool me…you can’t get fooled again.”  Meanwhile, fans of Bruce Springsteen were shocked to find tickets for his upcoming shows starting at over $4K.  This is due to Ticketmaster’s “dynamic pricing” – which seems like legalized scalping to me.