Newport Folk Festival continues to be a small wonder. Capped at just 10,000 tickets per day, it has consistently sold out in recent years – even before the lineup is announced. This year, despite the heat (from the sun, as well as the giant AEG Live-owned Panorama an Amtrak ride away), it remained as remarkable as it ever has been.
Heat aside, this year’s lineup was its most eclectic yet. The mix of headliners is evidence enough: Flight of the Conchords had people in the aisles doubling over in laughter fits. Jermaine Clement and Bret McKenzie’s brand of wit was the perfect fit for the festival’s first day. It brought out a lot of joy for fans of the HBO cult classic. Perhaps families might disagree with this sentiment: A common sight during the early moments of the set were parents with small children seeming to run an evacuation drill.
Listen, I get it. No one should ever subject their child to hearing a bunch of scary New Zealanders say the phrase “mother ‘uckers” or sing about scheduling sex and subsequently prematurely ejaculating. Or a song about seagulls, called “Seagulls,” which had its own meta-commentary. Too risqué. Too risky. No parent in their right mind would want to have a conversation with their child. About anything.
Saturday’s headliner was the legendary Patti Smith and her band. It was righteous and defiant and unpredictable. In a time of political and societal turbulence, Patti Smith had an urgent message for the folk faithful, at the end of a cover of the Who’s “My Generation.” “This is the only fucking weapon we need!” she said, holding up her Fender Stratocaster. “Don’t give up. Love one another, motherfuckers!” Newport Folk is no stranger to the protest song or call to action, and this year Smith’s message felt prescient. It’s a simple message: Music can fuel a movement. We need that reminder, sometimes. But perhaps 2016 could use the forceful message more than recent history.
Alabama Shakes had the honor of closing out the festival on Sunday, returning to the fort to deliver folk rock brilliance. Perhaps the band’s best run in the set was the trio of “Gimme All Your Love,” “I Don’t Wanna Fight No More” and “Sound & Color.” It was great to see Brittany Howard and her band deliver a great set. When Dawes joined for a cover of Bob Seeger’s “Night Moves” to close out the festival, that was just icing on the cake.
But the headlining acts are merely finales. Each day’s performances were full of surprises. Let’s go day-by-day:
Friday highlights
The Staves were a highlight of Friday’s performances. The band’s three-part harmonies played well to the Fort Stage’s crowd. Just after that set was the energetic St. Paul and the Broken Bones, playing tracks off their debut and teasing new songs from their forthcoming record.
Ray LaMontagne’s set served as a warmup for Flight of the Conchords, with members of My Morning Jacket filing in as the backing band. My Morning Jacket has made a habit of serving as the backing band for Newport Folk artists – just last year the band played a set and then played a full set with Roger Waters. A Newport Folk residency backing rock and folk legends is a good gig for any band, and MJJ serves that unofficial role well.
Earlier in the day, debut performances from Basia Bulat and Raury delivered heavily on their respective hype. Bulat’s performance was sweet without being too sweet; Raury’s was infectious and entertaining.
Saturday highlights
Saturday delivered a wide range of performances and Banditos on the Quad Stage early was a great kickoff. Mary Beth Richardson on vocals gave the set an impressive edge to it. Meanwhile, Rayland Baxter and his band gave a performance that mixed psychedelic with folk.
Ruby Amanfu was a revelation. Her voice and lyricism, along with the backing band that included members of Deer Tick, created a sound that was arresting. It was well worth inching to the front of a shady spot to the side of the stage, then inching back as the midday sun slowly eliminated the shade.
Later in the day, Frightened Rabbit played a set that seemed to be years in the making. It is a shame the Scotland-based act wasn’t booked right on the heels of 2008’s Midnight Organ Fight, but it is most certainly better late than never. Entertaining frontman Scott Hutchison joked that his band was a folk band once, but “then we discovered electricity.” The band earned multiple standing ovations, plugged in and all.
Father John Misty, coming off a widely publicized speech in front of a battleship, played a set that was challenging and humorous. His set served as an interesting contrast to Patti Smith’s that was to come. He made no secret of him feeling absolutely depressed about the “coronation of the Idiot King,” while acknowledging he was playing incredibly downtempo versions of his songs. While Father John Misty felt helpless, Smith’s set was fiery and impassioned. They’re both important messages.
Sunday highlights
Sunday saved some of the best for last. The weekend’s best set might as well go to Julien Baker, who performed on Sunday. The music and the lyrics moved through the quad stage area and hung over the hushed crowd. The emotional weight was palpable, evoking tears from many crowd members. A true reward for those sitting in the tent, who had to bear witness to the previous band singing about holding banjos in the air, despite… not having banjos. Anyway!
River Whyless had a captivating set to start off the day. The four piece band made songs to daydream to; the songs are less like songs and more like universes to get lost in. “Widows Walk” was a standout song from the set.
Ireland’s Conor O’Brien and his band, Villagers, played an intoxicating set of new versions of songs. “Nothing Arrived” kept the spirit of the album version, but transformed it with a new arrangement. Later, O’Brien served as an interview guest for NPR’s Bob Boilen in a promotion for Boilen’s book, Your Song Changed My Life. O’Brien’s song of choice was Radiohead’s “No Surprises” and played an incredible cover of the song.
Later in the day Phil Cook’s Southland Revue performance brought together the Blind Boys of Alabama and Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath for one of the most unique performances of the weekend. There were some great moments, but one standout was Meath’s leading vocals on a cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.” It was a set to get lost in, so lost that one could only make it back in time for Elvis Costello’s star-studded finale, featuring O’Brien and the folk supergroup Middle Brother.
The heat
It was hot at Fort Adams State Park. For this writer, it meant less running around to try and catch more artists for less time, and more full sets. It also meant more FOMO and an extra bottle of aloe vera, and about 10 refills of a water bottle per day.
With the weather being so harsh, it was surprising that there seemed to be only one notable instance of bad luck – Brett Dennen’s set on Friday was mired in technical difficulties with a dead soundboard (it’s unclear if the heat had anything to do with this, however). Dennen opted to play solo acoustic while technicians scrambled for replacement equipment.
There is a lot of talk about the festival bubble starting to burst, with many major festivals either closing down or suffering steep attendance drops. Many independent festivals have gone corporate in the face of mounting competition: Boston Calling was snatched up by MSG Live and Governor’s Ball is now a Live Nation production. Panorama, held the same weekend in NYC, is an AEG Live production. By all accounts, tickets didn’t sell too well – and Michael Nelson of Stereogum sums up the NYC drama well.
These are major, or aspiring to be major music festivals. So, should Newport Folk, which has a smaller capacity, be worried that the bubble collapse will adversely impact it? In a word, no. The festival, headed by Jay Sweet, has a winning formula – and nothing this year should keep people away next year. The three-day festival will go on sale and sell out completely in five months’ time, before a single artist is announced.
And that’s the way it should be. Newport Folk has a legacy to uphold, and its lean footprint and huge bookings make it a hot ticket.
Final thoughts
For me, Newport Folk is a year-round obsession for me. I jump back and listen to archived sets on NPR all the time. I think about who could possibly be a splashy headliner next year. I think about who should make their introduction to the Newport faithful (Mitski! Rick from Pile! Mutual Benefit!)
I’ve tried to explain it to acquaintances, and colleagues and have come up short. The incredible bookings, the music, the communal feel of the festival doesn’t really sum it all up. It’s kind of this innate connection to something.
I brought my partner to the festival for the first time. When the dust had settled after Alabama Shakes closed out their set, we started to pack up our stuff.
She turned to me and said: “I get why you keep coming back every year. Because I don’t want to leave.”
