The 2024 Newport Folk Festival, in its 65th year as the premiere folk festival of the northeast, has officially come to a close. Gorgeous weather, amazing music, and the positive spirit of the folk fest were in lavish supply this past weekend at Fort Adams in Newport. Besides a few hiccups in terms of the security lines to get into the festival on Friday and Saturday, Newport could teach a masterclass on setting up the proper infrastructure and planning it takes to run a festival. Every year, even in the years following covid, Newport receives top marks for its planning and the ability to handle any situation with safety and fun at the forefront.
Kicking off the festival on Friday at the smaller Harbor Stage was the recipient of this year’s John Prine Songwriter Fellowship, William Prince. The 2023 recipient, Jobi Riccio, who also had a set at the Harbor on Sunday, joined him on stage as well to metaphorically hand off the torch. Hailing from Canada, Prince’s smooth voice and captivating lyrics seemed to embody Prine’s spirit. Meanwhile, Sir Woman (led by singer Kelsey Wilson) set the tone at the Quad Stage with their blend of rock, R&B, and soul. And over at the Fort Stage, the Medicine Singers, which includes guitarist Yonatan Gat, opened their set by inviting the audience to join in on a unity round dance. The collective call-to-action dance fit perfectly in line with the unified aspect of Newport and folk music in general.
Every year, one of the best aspects of the folk festival are the acts that appear on the two smaller stages in between the bigger sets. At the bike stage, which is entirely powered by solar power and bicyclists on the side of the stage, Portland-based band Glitterfox impressed the early morning crowd with their mix of grunge and Americana. Hopefully Newport will see Glitterfox return to the fort on one of the bigger stages in the next few years.
Another highlight of Friday’s packed lineup included Wednesday, fronted by vocalist Karly Hartzman and includes Jake Lenderman (aka MJ Lenderman). The Newport Folk Festival has always been a place of political call to actions through music, and Hartzman captivated the audience by dedicating her prolonged scream in their final song to Sonja Massey. Traditional folk and americana music can often understate the political nature of its lyrics and meanings but Hartzman’s powerful screams cut right to the point, and was a powerful way to end the set.
Friday afternoon’s jam-packed schedule continued with alt-rockers Guster, whose set at the Fort Stage was interrupted by a massive dragonfly swarm that was incredible to witness. And over at the Quad Stage, indie pop favorites MUNA tailored their set to fit the folk festival vibe, opting to play some of their slower songs and even playing an acoustic arrangement of “Stayaway” that showed off the singing prowess of both lead singer Katie Gavin and Naomi McPherson. Gavin also performed a song that will appear on her upcoming solo album for the first time, with her bandmates moving to the back of the stage and giving Gavin her chance to shine. On the last few songs they fully let loose and had the whole Quad dancing and singing along to their breakaway hit “Silk Chiffon”.
Friday at Newport ended on a high note with sets by the always fun Black Pumas on the Fort stage and a stunning set by Adrianne Lenker. Hozier closed out Friday at the festival on an absolute high note that included multiple collaborations and firmly placing the music within today’s political climate and unrest. Hozier invited an array of guests and Newport favorites, including Allison Russell (who also delivered a star turn on the Fort stage earlier in the afternoon) and Mavis Staples.
The clear highlight of the day and the most memorable moment of the festival itself was Hozier inviting Joan Baez to lead “We Shall Overcome”. Baez’s presence and energy helped bridge the gap between the older and newer generations of folk and Americana that makes Newport special each year. With the deep Newport Folk Festival connections, it was a truly special moment and one that epitomizes why Newport stands out amongst the many other music festivals. A special shoutout of the weekend also needs to go to Mavis Staples being driven around in a golf cart with a banner that read, “Mavis is Brat”.
