The first day of Folk Festival 50, the golden anniversary of this Newport staple, did not disappoint. Though the day’s magic was thanks to the wonderful acts that played throughout the event on three stages, not enough can be said about how well the weather worked out. It was hot and sunny for long enough that the refreshing breeze that moved when Pete Seeger took the stage was welcome and appreciated. Read on for a recap of Day One. If you’ve been reading our tweets lately, you’re already ahead of the game.
"That's meee, after my gig!" ~Ben Kweller, when he saw this photo of himself.
The Fort Stage, the center of the festival, featured some of the most well-known acts including the bands I was most excited to see— Fleet Foxes and The Decemberists. Gillian Welch also played a wonderful set here, despite having a five-hour delay at LAX airport that nearly thwarted her showing up at all if the Newport police hadn’t escorted her in through traffic. It was also here that Pete Seeger, one of the original founding members of the festival back in 1959, finished up the day with a huge all-star sing-along. Not only did a diverse group of musicians fill the entire stage to participate in this memorable moment, but the audience was into it as well. Listening to thousands of people sing “This Land is Your Land,” after hearing Seeger retell the story of the song’s origin made everyone feel like this was a simpler time. The sun went down within 30 minutes of the end of Seeger’s set. What a perfect way to end a day!
Don’t let this fool you into thinking all the excitement happened on the Fort Stage. Some class acts joined Kweller on the Harbor stage, notably solo act Iron & Wine. The turnout for his set was so big that it was nearly impossible for anyone who didn’t find a spot early to get through the dense crowd. What the Waterfront Stage, the smallest at the festival, lacked in numbers (only 4 acts) it made up for in quality. If you haven’t already, check out Waterfront band The Low Anthem.
All in all the day really couldn’t have been better. Want more proof? Check out our Folk Festival 50 photo set. Coming soon we’ll be posting a video of Editor-at-Large Jay Sweet’s interview with Ben Kweller!
