After the show—in which she sang “Down to You” and duetted with Kris Kristofferson on “A Case of You,” the latter song off of Mitchell’s iconic 1971 album Blue—Carlile had this thought: “No one would hear Joni perform her beloved Blue album live again…So what if I did it? What if I kept the original keys and sang it almost verbatim in service to its legacy? To Joni’s legacy? Could I even do it?”

Three years later since that tribute show, Carlile answered that last question and fulfilled a dream of hers: performing Blue in its entirety at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, which she did Saturday night, the day before Mitchell’s 78th birthday. (She first did her Blue show in Los Angeles in 2019). The excitement of playing at the famed concert venue in the Big Apple was obvious in her genuine, heartfelt remarks to the crowd at the sold-out show: “My heart is pounding…I’m absolutely ecstatic!”

The Carnegie Hall show featured Carlile performing in a variety of configurations: solo on guitar and later piano; with a full band—including her longtime collaborators Phil and Tim Hanseroth on bass and guitar respectively; and accompanied by a pianist and a string quartet.

In keeping with the music and spirit of the original album, there were no drastic rearrangements during Carlile’s set—hearing the singer and the band interpret such songs as “Carey,” “California,” the title song and “This Flight Tonight” sounded truly like the way Mitchell had performed them back in 1971.

“I want to give people a chance to see Blue live,” Carlile said of her intentions of reviving the music for the stage.

Carlile really channeled her hero not only by staying faithful to the song’s original arrangements but also in her nuanced vocal delivery. At times, her singing uncannily echoed Mitchell’s from 50 years ago, especially when she hit those high notes; however, Carlile also brought her own fresh and distinctive take on the material. Not surprisingly, her renditions of such songs as “River” and “A Case of You” generated a standing ovation from the audience.

In between songs, Carlile spoke about her introduction to Mitchell’s music dating back to 2005 when she was recording her album The Story. At the time, she wasn’t initially a fan of Mitchell’s music—particularly the song “All I Want” for the lyric “I want to talk to you, I want to shampoo you,” because it wasn’t tough.

It wasn’t until later when Carlile’s then-girlfriend (and now wife) Catherine put on Blue during a car ride together that changed the singer’s view—especially the poignant “Little Green,” which is about Mitchell giving up her baby daughter for adoption in the 1960s.

“This is the toughest song in rock and roll history,” Carlile described “Little Green” at the Carnegie show.

For the encore, Carlile and the band performed a few non-Blue songs, including a mystical yet powerful rocking version of Mitchell’s “Woodstock” (which became a hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young on their 1970 album Deja Vu); and “You and Me on the Rock,” off of Carlile’s new album In These Silent Days. And accompanied by guest singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius, Carlile closed out the show with “Shine,” from Mitchell’s 2007 album of the same name, which seemed quite fitting for the current times.

Towards the end, Carlile roped in the audience to sing “Happy Birthday” in honor of Mitchell’s 78th birthday. “We’re alive in the time of Joni Mitchell,” the singer said at one point.

Carlile wrote in the liner notes of the recent Joni Mitchell box set The Reprise Albums (1968-1971): “Blue is the greatest album ever made…Blue didn’t make me a better person. Blue made me a better woman. It taught me what it means to really be tough and that there was never anything ‘silly’ about the feminine.”

Those sentiments were on full display during the nearly two-hour show at Carnegie Hall. Contemporary artists paying tribute to icons from a previous era can be a tricky proposition sometimes. But in Carlile’s case, her Carnegie performance proudly did Mitchell justice.