Joni Mitchell makes a rare public appearance at onetime flame James Taylor's concert

Joni Mitchell doesn’t make it out to too many events these days — the famous 74-year-old singer/songwriter suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015 and her public appearances have been sporadic at best since then.

However, Mitchell managed to make it out to one of the two Los Angeles stops of old friend James Taylor’s summer world tour on May 31 — and even gave her onetime lover a hug backstage. A photographer caught the tender moment, which is now going viral on social media.

Mitchell famously spent a great deal of both musically productive and personal time with Taylor in the ’70s during her period living in L.A.’s creative enclave Laurel Canyon. Her 1971 album Blue is thought to be largely about Taylor, whom she described in her 2014 memoir Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words as a “total unknown at the time.” Taylor wrote several songs in return for Mitchell, including 1971’s moving “You Can Close Your Eyes.”

However, their relationship, although reportedly intense and well matched, was unable to survive Taylor’s eventual and rapid emergence into fame.

Taylor and his All-Star Band, plus special guest Sheryl Crow kicked off their summer world tour May 8, 2018, in Jacksonville, Fla. The remaining dates run through the end of July.

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