The 2023 Newport Folk Festival took off right out of the gate on Friday with a day of music that wasn’t only memorable, but historic, even by the standards of this hallowed institution. After shocking ticket holders last year with unexpected performances by both Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell, Executive Director Jay Sweet had his work cut out for him. Fortunately, he had what was billed as a “legendary friend” to help him fulfill such a tall order.
Following a blistering set from Chris Thile and his Nickel Creek bandmates, it was announced that New England-Phenom Noah Kahan wouldn’t be performing due to vocal exhaustion. Fortunately, James Taylor lives on the nearby island of Jamestown and with the help of a coastguard escort, was able to sail right up to the location of the festival at Fort Adams State Park to fill in for him with a set that included classics like “Fire and Rain,” “Carolina in My Mind,” and “You’ve Got a Friend.”
My Morning Jacket had been billed as the day’s headliners and they didn’t disappoint with an unconventional festival set that started off slow and heavy with “Steam Engine,” featured guest appearances from Maggie Rogers on Fleetwood Mac’s “Say You Love Me,” Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move,” with the help of Margo Price and a set-closing rendition of “One Big Holiday,” that saw drummer Patrick Hallahan receiving auxiliary support from Animal from The Muppets. Frontman Jim James had already performed at the event with Kermit the Frog in 2019 and given Jacket’s history of nearly pulling off a full tour with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, really any creation of Jim Henson’s wouldn’t have been all too surprising a sight on that stage with the exception of those cruel and wicked Lords of the Crystal, the Skeksis.
Saturday was highlighted by early afternoon sets by singer-songwriter Indigo De Souza and punk rock troubadour Craig Finn’s The Hold Steady. Finn got into the Newport spirit one day prior when he sat in for a song during a Harbor Stage set from Slaughter Beach, Dog. Although Goose brought out Animal of The Muppets to play drums and Jason Isbell put on a guest-heavy show while rocking his best Dad-look in a tucked-in Hawaiian shirt, the real story was in Danielle Ponder’s lunch hour set on the Fort Stage that dropped thousands of jaws while putting her on the map in a major way.
The R&B singer had been a lawyer before walking away from the field entirely and pursuing a career in music in her 40’s and just last year, she was only performing on a stage at Newport that wasn’t even on the schedule. Her triumphant performance on the Fort Stage was as inspiring as it was captivating, highlighted by an encore of Radiohead’s “Creep” that rivaled Prince’s courageous cover at Coachella 2009. Ponder changed the lyrics a great deal on the backend to focus on the existential questions raised by asking, “What the hell am I doing here?” while avoiding the self-loathing inherent in stating, “I don’t belong here.”
The String Sisters sat in with Isbell as well as De Souza, who said from the stage that it was the first time she’d ever met them. Isbell was also joined by Evan Felker of the Turnpike Troubadours on “King of Oklahoma” a mere twenty minutes before their set on the Quad Stage that featured a guest appearance by Tyler Childers on John Prine’s “Paradise.”
Folks had been predicting bad weather all day and the jumbotrons had been instructing fans to expect a disruptive weather event. Between Isbell’s set and the headlining performance of Jon Batiste & Friends, the event put out word that a storm was imminent and anyone with young children or mobility issues should consider leaving early. The Weather Gods played ball all day and Batiste was able to put on his full set which showcased his prowess as a performer, vocalist, pianist, guitarist, and sax player. With an Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe for Album of the Year under his belt before turning 40, the NOLA-bred musical force left his role last year as the bandleader on Late Night with Stephen Colbert, and seeing the way he wrapped the audience of 10,000 around his finger, it’s easy to understand why playing second fiddle had grown stale for him.
Performances by Muppets, James Taylor, and Tyler Chiders were the only big-time surprises of the weekend so far, but with one day left, it’s anybody’s guess what the 2023 Newport Folk Festival will be remembered for.
