True survivors: Joni Mitchell jams with Elton John on Im Still Standing at Hollywood Bowl concert

It was a case of two music legends.That was the awe-striking scenario when Elton John joined Joni Mitchell on “I’m Still Standing” during her “Joni Jam” concert at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday night.Mitchell put a jazzy, witty spin on John’s 1983 hit, while Sir Elton provided “Yeah yeah yeah” background vocals.But the two true survivors — Mitchell, 80, made her debut with 1968’s “Songs to a Seagull,” while John, 77, made his with 1969’s “Empty Sky” — were both sitting instead of standing.“This is called ‘I’m Still Standing,’” Mitchell said to the crowd.“But I think I have to sing, ‘I’m still sitting after all these years.’” As if that weren’t enough, Brandi Carlile, Annie Lennox and Meryl Streep — yes, Meryl Streep — also joined in the fun for an all-star rendition of “I’m Still Standing” that drew cheers from the crowd of 17,000 at the amphitheater.It was a joyous highlight of Mitchell’s two-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl — her first headlining concerts in Los Angeles in 24 years.

And a host of musicians — from Marcus Mumford and Jacob Collier to Jon Batiste  — came out to jam with the “Big Yellow Taxi” singer.Mitchell — who released her “The Asylum Years (1976-1980)” box set earlier this month — played three songs for the first-time ever in her iconic career: “Harlem in Havana,” “The Sire of Sorrow (Job’s Sad Song)” and “If I Had a Heart.”The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer also performed such live rarities as “Hejira,” “God Must Be a Boogie Man” and “Dog Eat Dog.”After suffering a brain aneurysm in 2015 that left her unable to speak or walk, Mitchell has been on the comeback since making a surprise return to the stage at the Newport Folk Festival in 2022.She followed that up in 2023 with a headlining concert at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Washington.And then — after winning Best Folk Album for her 2023 LP “Joni Mitchell at Newport [Live]”...