At the risk of flogging a by now dead horse, I don't think Herself has any real disdain for her audience, nor would I interpret the MOA comment that way. Surely any performer can be worn down by requests for the "same old same old song", when he or she is constantly striving to produce new and more challenging work. In Joan's case, even in 1974, she couldn't actually sing some of those really early songs with any sincerity any more. When Joni accepted the Billboard Century award, she explicitly thanked her *audience*, not the wheelers and dealers who arranged for that award to be presented to her. Not to excuse her behaviour in Boston in '83! When she performed here in Vancouver in '98, the so-called music press accused her of performing her less well-known music, even though she presented a broad selection of her work from Hejira, HOSL, and albums all jmdl-ers know well. Just ignorance on the part of the press. On the other hand, she is not always a humble person when the spotlight is on her. But I've seen her live 4 times, lucky me, and though the performances have sometimes been uneven, she has always treated the audience I've been part of with respect. Cheers from Vancouver, Patrick.
