Newport Folk Presents: Folk On 2021 - 7/25/2021 - 7/27/2021
The ever-changing landscape of the pandemic birthed a slightly different kind of Newport Folk Festival lineup this year. Billed as “Newport Folk Presents: Folk On”, the name change was a hint to long-time attendees that this wouldn’t quite be the weekend in July that they remembered. And while the spirit of festivals gone by inspired and informed the 2021 iteration of the Newport Folk Festival, this year’s fest – expanded to six-days – was an entirely different animal.
Caamp performing at the intimate Busking Stage at Newport Folk (Photo ©2021 Mauricio Castro)
For many artists like Bleachers, Sharon Van Etten, and Fruit Bats, Newport was their first time getting the band back together since March 2020. The fast-moving logistics of organizing in a pandemic meant that some artists (Ben Gibbard, Mike Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger) showed up on stage alone with nothing but a guitar and a voice. Still others (Bleachers, Julien Baker, Langhorne Slim) came with support but a stripped-down sound. And most reflected on their lives and how they had changed in the last two years.
Sharon Van Etten said, “I’m still shaking” a few songs into her solo set. Chris Thile said, “I didn’t spend a lot of time with people, but I spent a lot of time with my demons,” something that proved to be a theme for many musicians. Langhorne Slim spoke about taking pills outside of his prescription shortly before the Nashville tornado struck, which made his acoustic rendition of “Changes” that much more poignant. Allison Russell joined a live taping of Adia Victoria’s podcast Call and Response, where they recounted the trauma of the pandemic and how they hope to move forward from it. Others kept it light - Hiss Golden Messenger saying “Zoom concerts don’t cut it. Sorry we had to go through that.” - while Jack Antonoff of Bleachers spoke of the ‘positive trauma’ he was feeling being back on stage again.
Lake Street Dive with Chris Thile at the Quad Stage of Newport Folk (Photo ©2021 Mauricio Castro)
Speaking of Antonoff, his band Bleachers was among the many that delivered more freewheeling performances than usual, nixing songs on the fly, sometimes forgot words to songs, and even trying to figure out technical details on stage. Canada’s Allison Russell was not in this camp, and seeing her musical vision come to life in the form of a ten-piece band, proved to be one of the highpoints of the festival.
While many artists somberly reflected on the past year, collaborations brought the emotional highs that always make Newport Folk Festival. Lake Street Dive invited Chris Thile on stage for a cover of David Bowie’s “Starman,” as a tribute to revered WFUV program director Rita Houston, who passed away in December. Hiss Golden Messenger invited Erin Rae, who he has toured with in the past, on stage during his performance. Beck kept the spirit of Newport collaboration alive by bringing fellow performers Bleachers and Fred Armisen on stage for a rendition of “Loser.” And once again proving to be the Newport MV, Allison Russell brought together a collaborative set on Sunday that included Chaka Khan as a surprise guest and was invited herself on-stage for Lake Street Dive’s and Aoife O’Donovan’s sets.
In true Rhode Island fashion, Deer Tick closed out the festival inviting Langhorne Slim, Katie Pruitt, Courtney Marie Andrews, and the Newport Folk organizers to the stage for sing-along of “Goodnight, Irene” as the sun set over the Narragansett Bay. Afterwards Newport Folk Festival organizer Jay Sweet took the stage at the conclusion and asked the crowd to pray that we would get to do this again next year.
Here's hoping those prayers are answered.
