Concert Reviews

Follow along for all of the best photos, videos, and stories from all three days at this year’s Newport Folk Festival.

By Gwen Egan

updated on July 27, 2024 | 6:56 PM

Newport Folk Festival invites a harmonic crowd of folk fans who boat, bike or drive into Fort Adams State Park for a weekend filled with sonic surprises alongside the expected beautiful instrumentation and art vendors.  

This festival’s tickets sell out infamously fast, sometimes within minutes, despite the fact that the lineup won’t be announced for weeks to come. Sitting on decades of history, poignant performances that reflected essential social justice movements of the 20th century and (of course) a young Bob Dylan, Newport Folk deserves its reputation as an essential American summer music festival. 

Couldn’t get tickets or looking to know about sets you couldn’t quite make it to? Here’s a guide through the weekend on this peninsula in The Ocean State.

Killer Mike brings activism and rap (with a group of vocalists impressive in their own right) to Newport Folk Festival (Saturday, 6:32 p.m.)

Introduced as a “man of the people,” Killer Mike took the Quad stage. 

A group of synchronized backup vocalists lined one side of the stage, each in all-white outfits. 

“DOWN BY LAW,” a song released by Killer Mike and CeeLo Green, began his set. 

Micheal Santiago Render, known as Killer Mike, originally hails from Adamsville, Atlanta, Georgia. He is a political and social activist as well as a GRAMMY-winning musical artist. 

He dedicated his set to “everybody who’s had to shed some tears and the people that love them.” 

Although the five vocalists on stage right from Render, known as The Mighty Midnight Revival, can only scientifically have five sets of lungs between them, their harmonies would fill a space ten times larger than the already stately Quad stage as Killer Mike’s “RUN” rang through the area. 

Trackstar the DJ was also situated on stage left, adding beats and spoken additions to Render’s vocals. 

“This ain’t your regular rap show, baby,” Killer Mike said to the crowd. 

Once the crowd stood during Render’s set, they just stayed standing. He paid credit to Outkast before launching into a performance of “Kill Jill” released from Big Boi’s 2017 record Boomiverse which features Killer Mike and Jeezy. 

Killer Mike made a statement about staying “Never Scared” this year, saying people will try to scare the public just before a version of “Never Scared” by Bone Crusher, which features Killer Mike and T.I. 

Render made a shoutout to everyone in the crowd, telling them exactly how to get to his neighborhood in Georgia by highway. 

Throughout his set, Render brought forward political themes and an especially strong message of “f*ck Ronald Reagan.” 

“I leave you with four words,” rapped Render,” I’m glad Reagan died.” His rendition of his song “Reagan” was heard in the far corners of the Fort Adams State Park. 

“Vote down ticket,” Render said to the crowd. His set, more than a rap performance at a folk festival, was a call to action.

The War on Drugs makes good on decades of music-making with head-bopping set on the Fort Stage (Saturday, 5:38 p.m.)

The War on Drugs, a rock band originally formed in 2005 in Philadelphia by current member Adam Granduciel and former collaborator Kurt Vile, began their set with a mention of Newport’s past. 

Granduciel, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the band’s current lineup, spoke about his attendance at the 2002 Newport Folk Fest. 

The band’s song “Pain” made for a powerful soundtrack to festival goers from the front row to the Beer Pier and was made more thunderous by instrumentation by the rest of the band’s members including David Hartley on bass guitar, Robbie Bennett on keyboards, Charlie Hall on drums, Jon Natchez on saxophone and keyboards, Anthony LaMarca on guitar and Eliza Hardy Jones on percussion and keyboards. 

“What do you think’s more intense, owning a boat or owning a printer?” said Granduciel, joking to the crowd. 

“Harmonia’s Dream” was also on the band’s setlist, filled to the brim with synth and drums to bop to. Although the day’s length and UV index seemed to be getting to the crowd, there were plenty of fans near the stage compelled to jump to the beat. 

Craig Finn, known as the frontman of the band The Hold Steady, joined the band for a rendition of John Hiatt’s “Walk On” which was originally released in 1995. 

“Thanks for having us here,” he said. “This is a real honor for us.” 

Rhiannon Giddens shines through technical difficulty with powerful material and vocals (Saturday, 4:50 p.m.)

Rhiannon Giddens’ set began with an outcry of fiddle, drums, accordion, keyboard, upright bass and guitar — the beginning of many a good story about folk music.

Although Giddens’s set began with a slew of audio issues (particularly an overpowering level of keys) she launched into a powerful (acapella) performance to the stamp of her foot.

A few moments later, the foot-stamping sound of the full band finally filled the later afternoon air.

“Alright we ain’t gonna talk, we gonna play,” she said to the cheering crowd as the sun beat down.

Giddens’s list of accolades is long. She’s a two-time GRAMMY and Pulitzer Prize winner and recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient (just to name a few).

Gidden’s vocal prowess (and rapid banjo planning) during her set (especially on “You Louisiana Man” from her 2023 record You’re the One certainly made the crowd understand where these accolades originate from.

Another of the songs featured in her performance included “Come Love Come” from her 2017 record Freedom Highway.

Giddens is no stranger to the Newport Folk Stage. She previously joined Paul Simon at his 2022 set for a rendition of “American Tune.”

“I’m the debby downer of the group,” she said. “Bringing in the sad facts.”

She told the crowd her song, “Another Waste of Life,” which was made complete by haunting keys and the roar of an electric guitar on stage, was dedicated to and about Kalief Browder. Browder was held at Rikers Island without trial between 2010 and 2013, where he was held in solitary confinement for 800 days. He took his own life after his release.

She continued to speak on the for-profit nature of the American correctional system.

Giddens brought Taj Mahal (who will be playing Sunday on the Harbor stage) on stage towards the end of her set.

“This is what Newport is all about,” she said.

As Giddens danced and twirled to Taj Mahal’s playing alongside folk legend Joan Baez on the side of the stage, the crowd roared loud enough for those in the created rather than bought seats on the water behind the waterfront Fort stage to hear.

“I Shall Not Be Moved,” which was originally sung as a slave jubilee in revivalist camp meetings in the 19th century American South, was the last song of her set, alongside her guest folk legends — in true Newport fashion.

“When I’m voting blue, I shall not be moved,” sang Baez, a departure from the original lyrics.

By the very end of the song, Giddens was leading the crowd in an acapella rendition of the last few lines.

“We sing, we vote, we rock the boat,” she chanted before leaving the stage.

Billy Bragg brings his 40-year legacy of protest songs to his Saturday set (Saturday, 1:35 p.m.)

Billy Bragg, an English artist known for his folk rock protest songs, took on the Fort stage, to a crowd who cheered on the social causes his music stands for. 

“Join a union, fight for better pay,” the Englishman sang from his song “Rich Men Earning North of a Million,” which isn’t formally released.

The song advocates for various social causes, but the central theme of the work sends a clear message — these rich men mentioned in the title of the song want to keep “the working folk down.” 

He recounted the story of how he very recently performed his song “Freedom Doesn’t Come for Free” in a town hall in New Hampshire where Bernie Sanders was also in attendance. 

“Live free or die trying,” he sang, making a play on New Hampshire’s state slogan, “Live Free or Die.” 

Brag, who released several albums of Woody Guthrie lyrics set to more modern music by Bragg himself and Wilco, sang a rendition of “Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key.” 

Guthrie (1912-1967), the legendary folk singer who originally wrote “This Land is Your Land,” had a great impact on folk music through his writing about the everyday struggles of Americans in the Great Depression.

“Your next election is absolutely crucial,” said Bragg to the crowd. 

He criticized the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to grant former President Donald Trump broad immunity, announcing this election would be a great determiner of whether Americans believe anyone can be above. 

Other themes from his set included prioritizing the perspectives of women this election year as well as supporting the organization of unions. 

“There is power in a union,” he sang. 

Hozier closes out the festival with vocals of epic proportions (Friday, 9:45 p.m.)

Andrew Hozier-Byrne, also known as Hozier, closed out the festival with a set of spoken humor and hearty vocals.

“Unknown,” made up of vocals which draw questions on how he can possibly hold enough air to produce such sounds in his body, filled in the evening air.

He brought Allison Russell, who he told the crowd he met at the Newport Folk Festival, to the stage to share a song with him. They also happen to be on North American tour together.

This duo brought the crowd to their feet and compelled the attendees enough to take their phones out as well — to take home a piece of the experience.

Singing in the end of the evening, people brought their hands together to the beat.

The sheer size of his voice and stage presence (yes, being as tall as he is does help this cause) filled the main stage.

“I wouldn’t know where to start,””” he sang a portion of “Almost (Sweet Music). “Sweet music playing in the dark.”

Hozier-Byrne mentioned the supportive and genuine nature of the folk festival as something he truly appreciated.

Beck plays a surprise set Friday

Adrianne Lenker stuns with new songs at Newport

Adrianne Lenker, who dedicated Big Thief buffs caught earlier during Meek’s set, took to the Quad stage.

Lenker, whose alt-folk music can be heard in the rooms of fans in search of a heaping portion of vulnerability, held the last slot of the day on the stage.

Sitting atop the stage with just her guitar astride her lap, Lenker began her set to not only the majority of those in attendance but dozens of photographers as well.

“New Warm Mountain I Believe in You” was her opener of choice.

The crowd’s applause took up the space as the sun-kissed (and burnt) masses gave their ear to the performance.

Lenker’s poignant tales of love are filled to the brim with imagery delivered in a stripped-down manner, to their essential core of voice and guitar.

“In the hour I loved you, like a dream it was true,” Lenker sang. Just a piece of “abyss kiss” was enough to keep the crowd’s attention.

Using her guitar as both melodic and rhythmic, Lenker’s impressive musicality drew the crowd in closer until it felt like the mass of people was just a ground of campers around a fire, listening to their favorite (although obviously world-renowned) camp counselor sing.

She creates intimacy using her heart and mind (and guitar and voice) in not only the permanence of her recorded music, but in the ephemeral performances Newport Folk attendees were lucky enough to see.

It’s impossible to leave a set by Lenker without feeling internally moved.

After a slew of new songs, Lenker said, “Some Big Thief songs I’m testing out.”
Fans stood near the end of her set, although it wasn’t quite time for the standing ovation, in celebration at the end of “anything.”

“True and rare, to travel through the chambers of your care,” sang Lenker.
Her songs, which put words and melody to feelings next to impossible to name, stunned the crowd to silence followed by deafening claps and cheers.

Meek joined Lenker on stage at the end of the set.

“I love to sing with you,” said Lenker to Meek, as she recounted their time together living in a van and burning CDs.

“Sometimes there’s just a lot of feelings,” she said.

Anyone who was lucky to see Lenker on this stage was lucky enough this weekend.

Black Pumas fills the early evening with stage presence alone at Newport Folk (Friday, 6:50 p.m.)

Black Pumas, one of the last sets on the nautical Fort stage, is composed of singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada. 

Their psychedelic soul sound made for a grand entrance onto the stage on the edge of the sea, while hundreds without official tickets floated by the edge of the peninsula in devices of varying kinds. 

The group’s most recent release is a record titled, “Chronicles of a Diamond” in 2023. 

“It’s alright to get down as you feel it,” said Burton at the beginning of “Fire.” Although the sun beat down on the crowd, people filled the front of the space and raised their hands in the air. 

“When the sun comes up in the morning, darling, you look so good,” crooned the singer as he sang “Gemini Sun.” 

Vocal effects, such as the echoing of Burton’s singular voice throughout the space, created a sense of stateliness to the group’s performance on the grand stage. 

“Ice Cream (Pay Phone)” included powerful backing vocals from Angela Miller and Lauren Cervantes as well as Burton’s signature pizzazz and the essential guitar riffs from Quesada. 

Lord of the (dragon)flies (Friday, 4:32)

While Guster played the harbor stage, a veritable sea of dragonflies decided to also take the stage. 

Guster’s lead vocalist, Ryan Matthew Miller remarked about the amount of beach chairs in the distant landscape of the crowd.

Twenty minutes later on the Quad stage, the dragonflies kept coming. Festival goers had their hands up in the air, not for the love of the beat, but in hopes of catching one wingéd insect of the seeming hundreds that flew overhead. 

Wednesday’s set, their Newport Folk debut, made hairs and audience members stand at attention (Friday, 2:45 p.m.)

Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, alt country-rock band Wednesday followed Buck Meek on the Quad stage, making their Newport Folk debut. 

“There will be a fine on your way out if you sit down,” said the band’s vocalist Karly Hartzman, who donned court jester-themed makeup for the performance. 

They began their set with a performance of the slowly building “Ghost of a Dog” with their full band of guitarist Jake Lenderman (whose solo project is under the name MJ Lenderman), lap steel player Xandy Chelmis, drummer Alan Miller, and bassist Ethan Baechtold. 

That gradually building vibe was quickly eclipsed by the band’s usual sound — something that would be a little insulting to sit during. Head banging is more appropriate. And what is a Wednesday set without a little classic alt rock screaming? 

A breeze carried through the shaded Quad stage and on it, the sound of Hartzman’s lilting, almost yodeling, rendition of “Chosen to Deserve” alongside the essential sonic backdrop of dynamic instrumentation. 

“This one’s a quiet one — if you need to take a seat I will understand,” Hartzman said. 

“Formula One” soon followed. “Quarry” came a few songs later. But by that time, everyone was standing again. 

Towards the end of the set, Hartzman dedicated a song to Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy in Springfield, Illinois. Her autopsy confirmed she died due to being shot in the head. 

That wasn’t the band’s only political moment. “They were standing up and supporting genocide,” said Hartzman, referring to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech made to the U.S. Congress and the ensuing applause from elected officials. 

Newport Folk has a long history of popularizing and highlighting songs which call for social change, such as “We Shall Overcome,” which would become an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement. The festival’s legacy of using music for social change remains to this day.

Buck Meek leads with love on the Quad Stage (Friday, 1:45 p.m.)

Buck Meek, a former Somerville resident, played a dynamic set on Quad stage Friday afternoon, creating both a soft place for listeners to sit and take in the sonics surrounding them, and, in equal measure, a rip-roaring session of experimental musicality. 

Known as the lead guitarist and vocalist of renowned folk group Big Thief, Meek played a solo set at Newport Folk Festival full of his individual flair. 

His most recent solo release, Haunted Mountain (2023), is filled with poignant lyrics on love of varying kinds and sources. 

This is certainly true of the hauntingly irreverent “Secret Side,” whose lyrics declare, “I’ll never know, I’ll never know the secret side of you.” 

“Haunted Mountain is about love and … something other,” reads his artist bio on the record. That certainly rings true. Accompanied by his bandmates Ken Woodward on bass, Kyle Crane on drums, and Adam Brisbin on guitar, there’s a sense of being greater than the sum of our parts in his set.

Sitting on chairs, standing off into the far stretching field behind the covered Quad stage, people bob and tap and clap for Meek. 

At Newport, his set was consistent with his western Indie-music sound. 

Inviting up his band mate Adrianne Lenker (whose set will be later on Friday evening), Meek put on an inspired performance of Big Thief’s “Certainty,” another song containing a whole lot of love of varying complexities and actions in the lyrics. 

His set also contained a roaring rendition of “Cyclades,” which, he relayed to the crowd, was full of true stories. 

A new song, entitled “Out of Body,” which contained a swing-and-tap-worthy beat, made an appearance on the stage as well. The set ended well — with, not surprisingly, a standing ovation.

Friday 10 a.m.: Getting to Newport Folk 

For festival goers, arriving slightly earlier or later than what seems to be the prime time entry at around 11 a.m. is a more sound bet. 

Newport can be accessed via water taxi, bike or car. However, if you’re planning on parking at Fort Adams make sure you bring cash. The water taxi, $20 round trip, is cash only as well. 

Ride sharing apps also offer a slightly pricier, but more convienent alternative. “Ridesharing” signs are posted at the entrance to Fort Adams State Park according to reporting by the Newport Daily News.

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