Sorry if this is too long.....I was twenty years old at the time of this concert. I hadn't been to many at this point but wanted to see Joni live. The only other female solo concert I'd been to was when I was seventeen. My parents chaperoned me on my first official date to see Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops with Roberta Flack as guest. It was a great performance, but I felt just a little constrained by the formality as far as the date scene was concerned. Later on, I'd purchased Blue and Court and Spark albums and was a fan. Somehow in my naivieté I thought there would be orchestral backup at Tanglewood, given that it's the summer home of the Boston Symphony. So we drove out there from the east, this time without parents lurking and there's this intense thunderstorm on the way. We thought the concert might be canceled, big bummer. We arrived at Tanglewood and the storm decided to move on! There was still a lot of deep rumbling and flashing around, but basically it was clearing. The air was calm and sultry, the smell of ozone lingered from the lightning, it was getting dark but the green grass was vivid. So we got up close to the stage and the music started. It wasn't orchestral at all, but the most beautiful, jazzy, rythmic sound of the LA Express, with a serious craftsmanship that matched the Pops experience. There was a huge collective sigh of relief the show could go on from both the band and the fans, was the way it seemed to me. Joni's voice matched the atmospheric purity, it was all meant to be. One of the very best concerts ever for me. She sang her heart out on Free Man in Paris and I felt totally "unfettered and alive" that night.

Cinner, I think you must be thinking of the summer of 1979 concert on August 21st which I was at as well. She didn't play Tanglewood in 1977

Terry Holland, Thank you for posting these photos of Joni at Tanglewood. This was the first time I saw her 'live' in concert was that summer Aug. 27, 1974 (only about a week after 'Miles of Aisles' was recorded!) And these photos are definitely from that concert in '74 and Not '69! It's great to see these. I finally found my original concert ticket which I think I will try to upload the image.

I saw Joni in the summer of 1977 at Tanglewood in Massachusetts. We started on the lawn, but ended in the shed because of the weather. It was an amazing night. LA express was amazing, but the acoustic sets with just Joni and her guitar or piano was transcendent. I still listen to Joni every day.

My sister and I drove about 3 hours I think, from N.H. I remember the evening was pure bliss, and yes indeed serious rain. Joni was her outrageous spirit. I was 16 and it was the first time seeing her in concert - the rain did not matter...Miles of Aisles...a grand memory of her voice, the beat, her shimmering shirt and lots of brass.

I do remember the weather was wet. Perhaps a summer afternoon shower. We had lawn tickets. Ended up in the shed in empty seats 3/4 back close to center. I couldn't believe how magical it was. I'm pretty sure they were having weather related technical problems. The crowd could have been getting rowdy. Too much free time on their hands. We had a cassette player/recorder with us, what today would be called a small boom- box and ended up getting a pretty good tape of her performance. As I said it was a very magical experience for me. It made a very special venu even better for me for the rest of my life. I wouldn't be surprised if Arlo was there too! Joni will always hold a very special place in my h<3art!

The most predominant memory I have of that concert is... the respect that the audience gave Joni by not beginning to applaud 'til the last note of the song was struck. They wanted to hear every note. v

All I remember (35 years later) is how much I loved Joni and how disappointed I was when she rudely told her fans (who had been waiting in bad weather what seemed to be a long time) to "shut up" -- kind of ruined the moment.