Pages tagged “Newport Folk Festival”

I walked up to the Harbor Stage at the 2008 Newport Folk Festival right as a soloist from the Young @ Heart chorus began singing Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees." Her 80 years allowed her more passion and earnestness than Thom Yorke could ever possibly get away with, which made it a much more powerful song. Right after she finished, I found my Paste co-hort and Newport programmer Jay Sweet standing next to WFUV's Rita Houston, and both said tears had streamed down their cheeks during the song. I found the hair on my arms standing on end several times myself during the show—particularly during Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark." I'd known about Young @ Heart and thought it sounded very cool, but I was unprepared by how affecting it would be. And how funny.

I'm in Rhode Island for the first time in my life. We drove past the harbor where a magenta sun was dropping below the harbor and men in white pants were politely sipping strong drinks. The opening night of Newport was held in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, where a pristine grass court made me want to play tennis, even though Beach Boy Brian Wilson was about to take the stage.

A year shy of the mid-century mark, The Newport Folk Festival kicks off today in Rhode Island. This year's line-up features a refreshingly eclectic mix of artists, ranging from indie darlings She & Him to tried and true veterans of the Americana scene Levon Helm and Steve Earle.