NEWPORT, RI – Saturday was the 60th anniversary of the monumental “Dylan goes electric” performance at the Newport Folk Festival.
Rumors circulated at this year’s event, which took place at Fort Adams State Park Friday through Sunday, that Bob Dylan would be the surprise guest at the closing “Songs For the People” celebration.
Of course, Dylan was a no-show, as were Joan Baez, Paul Simon, Neil Young and others whose names were bandied about.
It turned out to be a set of cover songs, some political, some inspirational and some written by music giants who died this year.
Who did participate? We’ll get to that in due time. But first, a bit of history: Newport Folk was founded by George Wein, who was born in Lynn on October 3, 1925 and died in 2021, and it remains one of the world’s most distinguished and enjoyable music festivals for both performers and attendees. Tickets – 10,000 per day – sell out in less than one minute every February before a single act has been announced. Jay Sweet, an Essex resident, has run the show since 2008. It’s been at Fort Adams since 1985.
This year’s fest provided spectacular moments by established artists and up-and-coming acts alike on five stages.
On Friday afternoon, thunder, lightning and heavy rain forced festival organizers to issue an evacuation/shelter in place order, necessitating a two-hour delay. Folks stayed safe by huddling in one of the many tunnels and buildings inside Fort Adams State Park or sitting out the storm in their cars.
Excellent sets by Maggie Rose — a charismatic, gorgeous-voiced singer-songwriter who recalls the ‘70s Laurel Canyon sound — and Geese — dynamic young rock-and-roll dynamos who deserve to be stars — were cut short and raised havoc with the day’s schedule. Jam-banders Goose, MJ Lenderman, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, ex-Pixie Kim Deal, and Kenny Loggins all had their time on stage abbreviated. Loggins performed only four songs, and one with Goose — a true “Danger Zone” to be sure.
Nathaniel Rateliff opened the fest Friday morning with a Pete Seeger song. He offered to play first in hopes that attendees would arrive early to see him perform solo acoustic and then check out up-and-coming musicians. It worked.
Friday’s closing set led by Jack Antonoff of Bleachers featured guests Hayley Williams of Paramore, Rufus Wainwright, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Marin Morris, Waxahatchee, and Weyes Blood intermingling and covering such favorite pop songs as Waterboys’ “The Whole of the Moon,” Modern English’s “I Melt With You” and Roy Orbison’s “You Got It.” It was fabulous fun.
Saturday’s headliner Luke Combs and his band altered their regular setlist considerably, starting out with acoustic renditions of hits and lesser-known songs in his catalog. Although he showed reverence to the Newport fest and its history, as his cover of folky Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” made clear, it was a daring move that likely thrilled true-blue fans and bewildered those who like to hear their music just like it is on the radio.
Here’s a look at Newport 2025’s Best Sets.
- Jesse Welles, a 32-year-old Arkansas songwriter, played the main Fort Stage in his Newport debut on Saturday. It was my favorite set of the weekend. Call him the New Dylan (remember them?) if you wish. He’s that good and has come a long way since his whimsical songs “Walmart” and “Bugs” created online buzz. He has evolved into a master songwriter and commentator on society’s ills and life in these United States. His protest songs are powerful, clever and hard-hitting, like the rabble-rousing folkies of the past such as Pete Seeger, who also helped create the Newport festival. The current Epstein saga fueled one song, the Israel-Palestine war another, and he closed with a heartbreaking song about dead people. Welles posts “breaking news songs” on social media several times each week. His guitar playing is stellar as is his harmonica playing and he spits out his words much like early protest singer Dylan. The crowd roared its approval after every song. His cover of John Fogerty’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” became a loud singalong. Lukas Nelson and Tommy Prine joined Welles on stage. It was sensational. His encore was the first I’ve seen at Newport in the 17 years I’ve attended the fest.
- Revered singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter on Sunday played some of her most-loved songs: “Passionate Kisses,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” and “Down at the Twist and Shout” fueled by her excellent 4-piece band. She last played Newport 30 years ago and got emotional as she shared the memory. Many fans did too, fighting back tears and recalling how her songs were important benchmarks in their lives. “Bitter Enders,” a song on her new album, is a heart-tugger that’s as good as the aforementioned tunes. This was the only set all weekend that I watched from start to finish.
- Public Enemy’s Chuck D and Flava Flav, aided by two DJs and a drummer, brought the noise Saturday in a powerful, exhilarating hourlong set that addressed inequality and racism in America. This may have been the most anticipated set of the weekend, much as it was at Boston Calling earlier this year. Audience participation was off the charts. A new album is on the way. Flav, wearing a sparkly yellow jumpsuit, even crowd-surfed.
- Margo Price’s Sunday set was a well-played barrel of fun. Jesse Welles joined Price and her band for a rousing “Don’t Wake Me Up,” playing guitar, harmonica and spitting out words a la Dylan. John C. Reilly and Price sang an accapella intro to Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm” that evolved into a ferocious rocker. The two were also wonderful in a cover of the Porter Waggoner-Dolly Parton country tearjerker “Making Plans,” even sharing a slow-dance at its conclusion.
- The Swell Season (Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer/pianist Marketa Irglova) were last-minute subs. The stars of the film “Once” teamed up on a lovely version of “Falling Slowly” from the movie. Otherwise it was an unexpected but well-received set of hard-rock and politics, as Hansard railed against tyrants and wailed on guitar. Josh O’Keefe, a pal from Nashville, contributed a Dylan-like protest song “Your Empire’s About to Fail” that earned a large ovation.
- Snacktime, a 7-piece band from Philadelphia, was fun and funky, thanks in part to trombone, tuba and tenor sax explosions. The soulful ballads were mighty fine, too. They invited Newport Community Choir students on stage to sing along early on Friday. Snacktime will open for Fitz and the Tantrums at the Boston House of Blues on Aug. 18. Check them out.
- Hayes Carll, one of America’s finest songwriters, kicked off Saturday with a too-short half-hour on the small Foundation Stage. He even got early arrivals to sing along to one of his witty tunes, in the style of Jerry Jeff Walker and Guy Clark. Although he didn’t perform “Another Like You,” check out the song. It contains one of the all-time greatest rhymes.
- Remi Wolf of Remi Wolf & Friends joked, “I have no friends,” at the start of this fun cover-songs extravaganza. The Californian was one of the shining lights at Boston Calling this year and was up to the task of serving as emcee/singing partner of this wild time. Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Maren Morris, Welles — who played Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” — and others tackled Neil Diamond’s “I’m a Believer” and Tom Petty’s “Breakdown.” “Just the Two of Us” with John C. Reilly was a campy hoot.
- SG Goodman, a clever lyricist and vocal powerhouse from Western Kentucky, wasn’t afraid to stick Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer” into the middle of an original song and had the awesome audacity to end the set with a cover of the B***hole Surfers’ pop-punk masterpiece “Pepper.”
- John C. Reilly served as master of ceremonies for Sunday’s closing set. Highlights included Paul Simon’s “America” performed by Bonny Light Horseman, Tracy Chapman’s “Talking About a Revolution” by Alynda Segarra, Woody Guthrie’s “Deportees” by Margo Price and Sarah Jarosz, Cole Porter’s “Friendship” by Jeff Tweedy and Mavis Staples, and Brian Wilson’s “God Only Knows” by Lucius and Amy Helm. “Revolution” by The Beatles was performed by Welles, Nelson, Steve Wilson Jr. and Josh Kaufman. Welles destroyed a perfectly good guitar at the song’s conclusion, smashing it on the stage floor like a rock star and stunning his three sidekicks.
Good times. Anybody know the Newport Folk dates for 2026?
