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Most uncomfortable moment of the fest was when Todd Snyder's ex-wife's family showed up at his set and sat right up front, completely throwing him off his groove for awhile. He actually apologized to the audience after they left and explained he hadn't seen them since the divorce several years ago. The show was still great, but you could tell he was shaken by it, and he ended the set 10 minutes early.
I felt so bad for the guy, why would they think that was cool to do?
Thank you so much for posting this video. Definitely one of my highlights from the weekend. I am the greybeard behind the female performers but I couldn't get a decent angle to record anything. I have tried to describe this set to friends but words don't really adequately capture the vibe. This, this captures the moment. The prayer ceremony at the end of the set was inspiring. Wish I could remember the English translation completely.
Last Edit: Jul 29, 2019 19:03:40 GMT -5 by drlimits: spelling error - Back to Top
Thank you so much for posting this video. Definitely one of my highlights from the weekend. I am the greybeard behind the female performers but I couldn't get a decent angle to record anything. I have tried to describe this set to friends but words don't really adequately capture the vibe. This, this captures the moment. The prayer ceremony at the end of the set was inspiring. Wish I could remember the English translation completely.
Thank you so much for posting this video. Definitely one of my highlights from the weekend. I am the greybeard behind the female performers but I couldn't get a decent angle to record anything. I have tried to describe this set to friends but words don't really adequately capture the vibe. This, this captures the moment. The prayer ceremony at the end of the set was inspiring. Wish I could remember the English translation completely.
My girlfriend and I were directly to the left of the person who filmed this. They posted some others from the set too. Would love more bookings like that in the future, what a great use of the Museum space for something that probably wouldn't translate nearly as well to one of the other stages
Post by matthewgroehl on Jul 29, 2019 19:56:02 GMT -5
Favorite Moments (Sunday Only): 1. Our Native Daughters - Mama’s Cryin’ Long 2. Kermit & Jim James - Rainbow Connection 3. Pecknold, Johnson, Mercer and band - Suite Judy Blue Eyes 4. Our Native Daughters - If You Miss Me At the Back of the Bus 5. Entire Deer Tick after party as usual
... I also hate to say stuff like this but John and CMA have the same super strong chemistry that Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga have. I don’t know what I think about it but I needed to get it off my chest.
Upcoming Shows: August 7: Green Day/Smashing Pumpkins/Rancid/The Linda Lindas August 30: Waxahatchee/Snail Mail/Tim Heidecker September 17: Pearl Jam/Glen Hansard September 24: Idles/English Teacher
Favorite Moments (Sunday Only): 1. Our Native Daughters - Mama’s Cryin’ Long 2. Kermit & Jim James - Rainbow Connection 3. Pecknold, Johnson, Mercer and band - Suite Judy Blue Eyes 4. Our Native Daughters - If You Miss Me At the Back of the Bus 5. Entire Deer Tick after party as usual
... I also hate to say stuff like this but John and CMA have the same super strong chemistry that Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga have. I don’t know what I think about it but I needed to get it off my chest.
Lol yup. Noticed as well. Not the only one that sees that haha.
Most uncomfortable moment of the fest was when Todd Snyder's ex-wife's family showed up at his set and sat right up front, completely throwing him off his groove for awhile. He actually apologized to the audience after they left and explained he hadn't seen them since the divorce several years ago. The show was still great, but you could tell he was shaken by it, and he ended the set 10 minutes early.
I felt so bad for the guy, why would they think that was cool to do?
That sucks. His set was already at a disadvantage being on during Highwomen.
Another awe inspiring weekend at the Fort - 2019 was perhaps the most intimate and emotional year, and I’ll forever be in debt to Jay and everyone who puts on the festival. I just got word today that my grandfather is passing but thanks to all you good people, and all the great memories made this weekend, there is some levity and moments in peace sprinkled in between. I can’t wait to do this crazy thing over again for a seventh year next year, and maybe, just maybe, I can get my ass in the door for Deer Tick.
Top 10 sets of the weekend for me: The Collaboration The Highwomen Liz Cooper & The Stampede If I Had a Song Mavis Staples After Party Songs for Beginners J.S. Ondara Phosphorescent Yola Portugal. The Man
Most uncomfortable moment of the fest was when Todd Snyder's ex-wife's family showed up at his set and sat right up front, completely throwing him off his groove for awhile. He actually apologized to the audience after they left and explained he hadn't seen them since the divorce several years ago. The show was still great, but you could tell he was shaken by it, and he ended the set 10 minutes early.
I felt so bad for the guy, why would they think that was cool to do?
This just reminded me of the most uncomfortable part of the fest that I witnessed. Around 5pm yesterday, I stopped by the artist merch and noticed Molly Tuttle was there looking around. Then she asked someone where her merch was and why it wasn't on display. One of the guys working said they had it up on Saturday, and she was like "but I just finished playing my set today..." It seemed like a very Spinal Tap moment.
that Todd snider story is so sad and bizarre, and very un-Newport.
we danced our way out during highwomen “the chain” (I know, I know) to head to Lesh (which ended up not being the right call but that’s another story). Stopped for Todd and got standing spots right behind the tent. finding time to see 2-3 songs was one of best decisions of weekend, wish I stayed longer. But he played “reality television blues” and “Conservative christian...” which were poignant and hilarious
Most uncomfortable moment of the fest was when Todd Snyder's ex-wife's family showed up at his set and sat right up front, completely throwing him off his groove for awhile. He actually apologized to the audience after they left and explained he hadn't seen them since the divorce several years ago. The show was still great, but you could tell he was shaken by it, and he ended the set 10 minutes early.
I felt so bad for the guy, why would they think that was cool to do?
This just reminded me of the most uncomfortable part of the fest that I witnessed. Around 5pm yesterday, I stopped by the artist merch and noticed Molly Tuttle was there looking around. Then she asked someone where her merch was and why it wasn't on display. One of the guys working said they had it up on Saturday, and she was like "but I just finished playing my set today..." It seemed like a very Spinal Tap moment.
That is really unfortunate. I met Molly after a solo show last week and she was signing merch and taking pictures with everyone and she was really sweet. I can understand the confusion with the First Ladies of Bluegrass playing Saturday night, but Molly was listed as an artist meet & greet on the whiteboard at the artist merch tent early in the day so they should have been prepared.
Post by sigurrosfan on Jul 29, 2019 20:35:06 GMT -5
Obviously there were several points in the weekend when I was brought to tears. But I think the most powerful moment (and I think someone already mentioned it earlier) was Rhiannon Giddens breaking down during Our Native Daughters "Mama's Cryin' Long."
• Yola was the soul of the festival. Everybody seemed to want to get a piece of her greatness. Brandi never ceases to amaze me. She can apparently do anything. • The Highwomen were the highlight of the weekend -- and I went to the Mavis aftershow (OK, that was the second highlight). They were so loose, so funny and and so happy to be there. It really felt like I was witnessing something special. • Jade Bird had such a great attitude and so much energy and power. Absolutely fantastic. • Lucy Dacus a killed. She got a standing ovation for "Night Shift," after which she said, "You'll never know how much that means to me." • The Collaboration was the best finale I've seen at Newport. Perfect from beginning to end. • The Milk Carton Kids aftershow -- didn't know much about them, but they're great hosts, and wonderful performers.
I wasn't there Sunday so can't speak to those acts. Apparently I missed a good day.
Regrets: • I didn't go in the museum at all. Big mistake -- I heard there were a lot of great acts, especially Yonatan Gat. Gripes/takeaways:
Sugestions/gripes: • Love the pop up sets. Think they could do even more of these. Why only one two-song Caamp set in the Quad on Friday? Why not between every other Quad act or so? • With all the special guest stars, it seems like a missed opportunity not to utilize them more. I mean, the First Ladies of Bluegrass were there and they played on one song? It's great that the Milk Carton Kids did a pop up in the beer garden, but why not, say, James Mercer or James Taylor or Sharon Von Etten or Jim James or someone from the museum or Nicole Atikins who were also all there and only performed one song or so each. • The Quad stage, the first day, was unbearably loud. People kept on leaving around me during Black Belt Eagle Scout and Liz Cooper. It was awfully trebly and overpowered and blown out. They seemed to get a handle on it by Saturday, but the sound was bad Friday. I couldn't stay for Black Belt Eagle Scout it was so painful, and was gritting my teeth during Liz Cooper.
• Yola was the soul of the festival. Everybody seemed to want to get a piece of her greatness. Brandi never ceases to amaze me. She can apparently do anything. • The Highwomen were the highlight of the weekend -- and I went to the Mavis aftershow (OK, that was the second highlight). They were so loose, so funny and and so happy to be there. It really felt like I was witnessing something special. • Jade Bird had such a great attitude and so much energy and power. Absolutely fantastic. • Lucy Dacus a killed. She got a standing ovation for "Night Shift," after which she said, "You'll never know how much that means to me." • The Collaboration was the best finale I've seen at Newport. Perfect from beginning to end. • The Milk Carton Kids aftershow -- didn't know much about them, but they're great hosts, and wonderful performers.
I wasn't there Sunday so can't speak to those acts. Apparently I missed a good day.
Regrets: • I didn't go in the museum at all. Big mistake -- I heard there were a lot of great acts, especially Yonatan Gat. Gripes/takeaways:
Sugestions/gripes: • Love the pop up sets. Think they could do even more of these. Why only one two-song Caamp set in the Quad on Friday? Why not between every other Quad act or so? • With all the special guest stars, it seems like a missed opportunity not to utilize them more. I mean, the First Ladies of Bluegrass were there and they played on one song? It's great that the Milk Carton Kids did a pop up in the beer garden, but why not, say, James Mercer or James Taylor or Sharon Von Etten or Jim James or someone from the museum or Nicole Atikins who were also all there and only performed one song or so each. • The Quad stage, the first day, was unbearably loud. People kept on leaving around me during Black Belt Eagle Scout and Liz Cooper. It was awfully trebly and overpowered and blown out. They seemed to get a handle on it by Saturday, but the sound was bad Friday. I couldn't stay for Black Belt Eagle Scout it was so painful, and was gritting my teeth during Liz Cooper.
On the MCK after show do you recall the name of the girl that sang two(?) songs solo in the long dress? I was getting a drink in the lobby when they announced her but loved both of her songs.
• Yola was the soul of the festival. Everybody seemed to want to get a piece of her greatness. Brandi never ceases to amaze me. She can apparently do anything. • The Highwomen were the highlight of the weekend -- and I went to the Mavis aftershow (OK, that was the second highlight). They were so loose, so funny and and so happy to be there. It really felt like I was witnessing something special. • Jade Bird had such a great attitude and so much energy and power. Absolutely fantastic. • Lucy Dacus a killed. She got a standing ovation for "Night Shift," after which she said, "You'll never know how much that means to me." • The Collaboration was the best finale I've seen at Newport. Perfect from beginning to end. • The Milk Carton Kids aftershow -- didn't know much about them, but they're great hosts, and wonderful performers.
I wasn't there Sunday so can't speak to those acts. Apparently I missed a good day.
Regrets: • I didn't go in the museum at all. Big mistake -- I heard there were a lot of great acts, especially Yonatan Gat. Gripes/takeaways:
Sugestions/gripes: • Love the pop up sets. Think they could do even more of these. Why only one two-song Caamp set in the Quad on Friday? Why not between every other Quad act or so? • With all the special guest stars, it seems like a missed opportunity not to utilize them more. I mean, the First Ladies of Bluegrass were there and they played on one song? It's great that the Milk Carton Kids did a pop up in the beer garden, but why not, say, James Mercer or James Taylor or Sharon Von Etten or Jim James or someone from the museum or Nicole Atikins who were also all there and only performed one song or so each. • The Quad stage, the first day, was unbearably loud. People kept on leaving around me during Black Belt Eagle Scout and Liz Cooper. It was awfully trebly and overpowered and blown out. They seemed to get a handle on it by Saturday, but the sound was bad Friday. I couldn't stay for Black Belt Eagle Scout it was so painful, and was gritting my teeth during Liz Cooper.
On the MCK after show do you recall the name of the girl that sang two(?) songs solo in the long dress? I was getting a drink in the lobby when they announced her but loved both of her songs.
Found it! Vera Sola! Turns out she’s actually Dan Aykroyds daughter.
Longtime lurker introducing himself. First, thanks to all of you for your commentary/ tips & tricks leading up to the weekend. Your unintentional help was all appreciated as we dove in for our first NFF. It was an amazing weekend and we plan to be back next year. I'm usually more of a full set type guy, but this whole weekend had me hopping around for half hour chunks to see everything. A few highlights below...
Friday: Yola couldn't have been better. She's MVP 1a of the whole festival, behind Brandi of course. Charlie Crockett was amazing. I had decently high expectations and they were all met. Scratching some of I'm With Her to get pit for Kacey was a tough decision, but worth it. Kacey's band was really impressive, but I have some setlist gripes that always seem to pop up after shortened festival sets. The Highwomen walked out and blew the doors off the place for the full set. I can't wait to see what they do after this. Count me among the consensus that they should have been Friday's Fort closer.
Saturday: Devon Gilfillian was my surprise of the weekend. I was really close to skipping his set but in the end that's in my top 5 of the whole festival. Jeff Tweedy doesn't get enough credit for his personality and I thought he had a really good set. Everyone up front seemed to be queuing up for The Collaboration, so the crowd wasn't the most into it, but it worked for me. My biggest regret of the weekend was backing out of the pit after Tweedy and giving up a third row spot. Rookie mistake. The Collaboration was awesome. Everyone around my wife and I seemed genuinely surprised when Dolly was announced even though we knew (via you guys, of course) from the spoiler a few weeks back. Kudos for Newport for keeping that locked down as well as they did.
Sunday: I was on the fence for the Oh My's but we ended up in a good spot, so we hung out. They started off a little rough but really came to life in the second half and impressed me. Bonny Light Horseman may have been my biggest regret of the weekend. They sounded really good, but I had talked myself into a few guests that never materialized, so it was a letdown of my own doing. I would see them again and with the proper expectations I'm sure it would be great. Another rookie mistake. After some wandering, we settled on the doubleheader of CMA and Billy/Molly at the Harbor and both of those exceeded expectations. My group and I wondered why The Joke hadn't made an appearance all weekend with all Brandi had been involved in. We got that answer Sunday because Hozier was kind enough to sacrifice 5 minutes of his time. Good move. Obviously Brandi sounded fantastic and effortless. I'll agree that most of If I Had A Song was pretty disjointed and some of the selections could have been better, but if you didn't get any joy from Kermit the Frog dueting with Jim James then I don't know what to tell you. My wife and I are probably going to see the Muppet Movie 40th anniversary release tonight just because of that.
Sorry for the wall of text. We already can't wait for the 2020 buildup!
Post by jorgeandthekraken on Jul 30, 2019 7:13:19 GMT -5
Alrighty, then. I'm back in the city, parachuting back into real life and responsibilities, and boo, hiss to that. But, I've had time to gather my thoughts around the whole weekend. This is coming from the perspective of a festival vet but a Newport newbie...
Overall, I had a really great time. There were a bunch of stellar musical moments - everything involving Dolly, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," Rhiannon Giddens breaking down during "Mama's Cryin' Loud" at Our Native Daughters (Collaboration legend power aside, OND was the absolute best set of the festival, for me), J.S. Ondara crushing it with Dawes, stumbling on Gregory Alan Isakov's set by pure chance (we had some downtime and had a blanket down at the Fort stage) and being blown away by it, Jupiter & Okwess getting the Quad on its feet early in the day, rocking my ass off and not caring that I was one of the only people standing during Phosphorescent's run through my absolute jam "Around the Horn"...it's rare to spend three days at a festival and not feel like there was one set I could have given a miss and been OK with it, but this one hit a pretty sweet spot, for me. Plus, the collaborative cross-pollination across the board made a lot of what went down feel really special.
Vibe-wise, it was an interesting experience coming from your more bog-standard multi-genre festival to this. Being in a full Quad tent at 11 AM with an audience that was attentive and appreciative throughout instead of jabbering amongst themselves and checking their Instagram was almost surreal, and you could tell it blew the mind of a few of the performing artists, who are probably used to struggling for folks' attention at other festivals, as well. I loved the way the crowd just went absolutely bonkers after anyone shredded a solo of any kind. People were generally friendly, although I did encounter some of the bitchiness that I've come to find is endemic to an older festival crowd. That said, I'll take that as an exchange over the kind of BS one usually runs into at, say, Governors Ball.
I thought things were pretty well-run, organizationally. I know folks had difficulty with the security line on Sunday, but we got there early, so I think I missed out on the worst of that. Otherwise, it was absolutely wild and almost surreal to encounter the almost complete lack of lines for food, drinks, bathrooms, etc.
OK, so...dislikes:
- Maybe it's because I'm used to standing at a festival, but I found there to be too much seating vs. standing room at the stages, especially in the tents at the Quad and the Harbor stages. I understand why it's like that - I'd just prefer more of a GA standing feel in those areas, particularly for some of the rock-ier acts.
- I know there's nothing to be done since it's a state park, but the restriction of beer to the beer gardens hashed things a little bit for me. I don't want to get hammered at a festival, but having a beer on our blanket at the Fort stage might've been nice.
- Again, this is part of the festival's DNA, so pardon the blasphemy, but ending at 7:30 was a bummer for me - it just felt like, OK, the sun's starting to set, the breeze is picking up, the vibe is starting to elevate...and then, it's over.
- Some of the booking and scheduling was brutal. Part of that was because there were so many good artists, which isn't a bad problem to have, but there were little things, like putting the very quiet Mountain Man in the Harbor stage (that area was SO highly trafficked and noisy at the time), or having Phil Lesh headline instead of Highwomen, that seemed odd...none more so than having the artist closing the Quad overlap with the headliner. I loved Portugal. The Man's set, but I will never, ever, live down missing Kermit the Frog.
- Getting out of the parking lot. There's no help for it, but if I go again, I'm taking everyone here's advice and staying close enough to bike. What an absolute mess. Day 1, in particular, it took us over two hours to exit the lot, since we were delayed in our arrival and ended up in Lot 4. The next two nights were easier, but still over an hour each time. Part of that was on the festivalgoers - if everyone just respected a zipper-style mechanic at intersections instead of jockeying for position as if being one car ahead is going to make a life-or-death difference, it'd all move much more efficiently, - but, yeah...alternate modes of transportation in the future, for me.
That's about it, though, and those are minor quibbles on my part. I had a great time and, depending on what happens with family planning over the next year, I'd definitely make an effort to return.
OK, so...ranking all the sets I saw - most of a set or complete sets, only...and, as always, just one dude's opinion.
1. The Collaboration. There was a set I dug more, musically, but it's not often you get to see a living legend, so... 2. Our Native Daughters. Musically and emotionally perfect and powerful. 3. Jupiter & Okwess 4. If I Had a Song 5. Portugal. The Man 6. Sheryl Crow 7. Phosphorescent 8. The Highwomen 9. Nilufer Yanya 10. The Nude Party 11. J.S. Ondara 12. Jeff Tweedy 13. Gregoy Alan Isakov 14. I'm With Her 15. The O'My's 16. Mountain Man 17. Lucy Dacus 18. Illiterate Light 19. Stephen Marley 20. Kacey Musgraves 21. Charley Crockett
Thanks for a great weekend, all, and for entertaining my rookie ass on this board. It's been for real!
a reminder for anyone who doesn't, setlist.fm is your friend and totally editable. so if you remember what was played more than your pals, head over and add some songs. i love it as a resource to track my shows.
as far as some of the concerns/criticism of weekend, while i will say it felt very overcrowded at time, everything was still magical. just a thought but i would be skeptical that there will be any largescale change to seating areas, timing, beer tents any time soon. progress is good but i always get a feeling that a fest like this that caters to such a huge spread of age groups and type of fans doesnt really change over night.
that being said: a glorious weekend, i returned home fulfilled and refreshed and saw unspeakable "once in a lifetime" moments. see ya next year (or at least in a few weeks on the 2020 thread).
EDIT: I read this back and realized the second paragraph is sort of unhelpful nonsense. i guess what i was trying to capture was between this board and the fb group so many people seemed to have issues with seats/blankets etc and i just dont how quickly they could do something about it in a waya that doesnt confuse
a reminder for anyone who doesn't, setlist.fm is your friend and totally editable. so if you remember what was played more than your pals, head over and add some songs. i love it as a resource to track my shows.
as far as some of the concerns/criticism of weekend, while i will say it felt very overcrowded at time, everything was still magical. just a thought but i would be skeptical that there will be any largescale change to seating areas, timing, beer tents any time soon. progress is good but i always get a feeling that a fest like this that caters to such a huge spread of age groups and type of fans doesnt really change over night.
that being said: a glorious weekend, i returned home fulfilled and refreshed and saw unspeakable "once in a lifetime" moments. see ya next year (or at least in a few weeks on the 2020 thread).
EDIT: I read this back and realized the second paragraph is sort of unhelpful nonsense. i guess what i was trying to capture was between this board and the fb group so many people seemed to have issues with seats/blankets etc and i just dont how quickly they could do something about it in a waya that doesnt confuse
The standing areas under the Quad tent behind the chairs were new weren't they? They just seemed to be permanently full. Maybe they could expand those a bit and get rid of some more chairs
Not that I'm looking into it but what were the hotels/companies that ended up canceling people's reservations or whatever this year? Was that in this thread? I'll have to go through and see. That's something that I'd be on the lookout for.
Yeah I posted after Motel 6 canceled my reservation about 10 days out and offered to put me in some crummier, cheaper place 17 miles away. Someone here had that experience for Thursday. Thankfully, neither of us needed the reservation. Not sure whether overbooked or put up last minute artists there. While having a disastrous meal at Applebees (where some confused soul thought I was Phil Cook) saw several touring busses pull into Howard Johnson's. Where they stay, there are probably less rooms.
a reminder for anyone who doesn't, setlist.fm is your friend and totally editable. so if you remember what was played more than your pals, head over and add some songs. i love it as a resource to track my shows.
as far as some of the concerns/criticism of weekend, while i will say it felt very overcrowded at time, everything was still magical. just a thought but i would be skeptical that there will be any largescale change to seating areas, timing, beer tents any time soon. progress is good but i always get a feeling that a fest like this that caters to such a huge spread of age groups and type of fans doesnt really change over night.
that being said: a glorious weekend, i returned home fulfilled and refreshed and saw unspeakable "once in a lifetime" moments. see ya next year (or at least in a few weeks on the 2020 thread).
EDIT: I read this back and realized the second paragraph is sort of unhelpful nonsense. i guess what i was trying to capture was between this board and the fb group so many people seemed to have issues with seats/blankets etc and i just dont how quickly they could do something about it in a waya that doesnt confuse
The standing areas under the Quad tent behind the chairs were new weren't they? They just seemed to be permanently full. Maybe they could expand those a bit and get rid of some more chairs
Glorious weekend and I’ll be posting all of the wonderful things I experienced soon.
That said, I was really turned off by what I call “chair vultures” on the Harbour Stage. These individuals would run up with a few seconds to spare in each song to look for chairs under the tent. Oftentimes with no interest in the band that is playing but just looking for a spot out of the sun. I saw numerous times where they’d get chairs and proceed to play Candy Crush Saga on their phones and didn’t even bother clapping in between songs. All while individuals who were super interested in the band playing struggled to get a good spot to see and sing a long.
(I felt Nilufer Yanya’s set suffered a little from this. And I recall during a set last year, a few songs in, someone in the fourth row asked the artist “who are you?”)
I’m not sure the best way to rectify this. My first thoughts 1) Newport needs to add more shaded/seated space, further away from the the stage. 2) Not as much of an issue on the Quad, but for the Harbour, clear out the tent in between each band to let those who want to see the next act get into the tent, and turn away those just looking for a place to sit out of the sun.
Last Edit: Jul 30, 2019 11:38:03 GMT -5 by k2b - Back to Top
