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also i caught Guster at Capitol Groove tonight and holy shit what a terribly unserious band. just the corniest thing i've ever seen, the lead singer should be taken out behind a shed like Old Yeller.
also i caught Guster at Capitol Groove tonight and holy shit what a terribly unserious band. just the corniest thing i've ever seen, the lead singer should be taken out behind a shed like Old Yeller.
i have never heard their music before but i just have zero respect for them bc they played somerville porchfest this year and completely mobbed the streets around them, preventing a ton of local acts from being seen
whats the process for getting newport tix btw? ive never been somehow but given its only like an hr and a half drive i think i wanna try going next year
also i caught Guster at Capitol Groove tonight and holy shit what a terribly unserious band. just the corniest thing i've ever seen, the lead singer should be taken out behind a shed like Old Yeller.
Larry just dropping back to back truths.
What’s been the stand out capital groove sets?
My Morning Jacket was great, as expected. I honestly really liked Shakey Graves, which was surprising because I remember thinking he sucked years ago. Say She She was dope as was Ozomatli. Trampled By Turtles was good. Today was a mess because the rain canceled half the day but Trevor Hall was super enjoyable, guy seemed stoked to be there. Guster was as Guster was, Head and the Heart were fine, and we left before Dispatch because why not.
Overall the music was mostly just "fine" but it was a very well run event, awesome space for a show like this, zero lines to speak of for food/drink/bathrooms, tons of easy parking, etc. Hoping they do well enough to make it a yearly thing because it's nice to have something like this basically in my backyard.
Edited to add that I will basically always champion/cheer on/root for any festival that exists outside of the LiveNation sphere. nice to see something like this which is put on from a hyperlocal promoter.
My Morning Jacket was great, as expected. I honestly really liked Shakey Graves, which was surprising because I remember thinking he sucked years ago. Say She She was dope as was Ozomatli. Trampled By Turtles was good. Today was a mess because the rain canceled half the day but Trevor Hall was super enjoyable, guy seemed stoked to be there. Guster was as Guster was, Head and the Heart were fine, and we left before Dispatch because why not.
Overall the music was mostly just "fine" but it was a very well run event, awesome space for a show like this, zero lines to speak of for food/drink/bathrooms, tons of easy parking, etc. Hoping they do well enough to make it a yearly thing because it's nice to have something like this basically in my backyard.
Edited to add that I will basically always champion/cheer on/root for any festival that exists outside of the LiveNation sphere. nice to see something like this which is put on from a hyperlocal promoter.
I got Jacket shows the next two nights. I’m pumped. The Groove setlist looked great
Overall the music was mostly just "fine" but it was a very well run event, awesome space for a show like this, zero lines to speak of for food/drink/bathrooms, tons of easy parking, etc. Hoping they do well enough to make it a yearly thing because it's nice to have something like this basically in my backyard.
Edited to add that I will basically always champion/cheer on/root for any festival that exists outside of the LiveNation sphere. nice to see something like this which is put on from a hyperlocal promoter.
Qft
I only went on Saturday. Outside of the weather this weekend, everything went pretty well. Hope they come back again.
Post by livefromthere on Jul 1, 2024 11:39:05 GMT -5
For reference, for 2023, 402k a year puts Jay Sweet just under the 99th percentile for individual income: dqydj.com/income-percentile-calculator/. I’m sure there are a million behind the scene things we don’t see and that Jay Sweet works very hard, but it does blow my mind when I see non-profit leaders make so much in general.
I used to like the Blues Cafe shows but those became unbearable. Especially as I got a little older.
The Jane Pickens shows are magical to me, though. That venue is great and the shows I've seen have been well worth the money. Have really enjoyed those shows but it does take up the free time for the rest of the night. Basically running from the festival to the aftershow area/venues and then you're there til late night.
Dawes and Friends Saturday night at Jane Pickens about 10 years ago remains one of my top memories. Truly magical.
Magical. The night JJ Cale passed away. Blake Mills changed up the entire set. One of the best nights ever in newport. And there have been dozens. Misty. Jim James. Isbell before he got weird.
This will be my 12th NFF, and have only done 1 aftershow all those years
Well sadly, you have missed out on the best part of NFF. The aftershows (specifically the DT shows) were the reason we kept coming back. Nothing lasts forever. Jay Sweet is deserves a ton of praise for the last 11-12 years
Dawes and Friends Saturday night at Jane Pickens about 10 years ago remains one of my top memories. Truly magical.
Magical. The night JJ Cale passed away. Blake Mills changed up the entire set. One of the best nights ever in newport. And there have been dozens. Misty. Jim James. Isbell before he got weird.
This will be my 12th NFF, and have only done 1 aftershow all those years
Well sadly, you have missed out on the best part of NFF. The aftershows (specifically the DT shows) were the reason we kept coming back. Nothing lasts forever. Jay Sweet is deserves a ton of praise for the last 11-12 years
Can’t believe you all missed the best part of NFF: paying extra money to see Deer Tick and Dawes for the 10th time
I only did them on Sundays but those DT after shows were incredible. Big raucous shout alongs. I stood next to Brandi Carlile for a few songs before she got pulled up on stage to sing Creep. Had my arm around Patrick Hallahan singing With A Little Help From My Friends. It was the perfect way to end the weekend.
This is interesting. I remember someone on Reddit mentioning months ago about Snoop reaching out to local dispensaries for an event in July….never really saw anything after that.
But this aftershows is sponsored by a local dispensary.
Post by Larry Farnsworth on Jul 2, 2024 13:21:40 GMT -5
both Spinna and Cosmo are great. Cosmo in particular is known for hosting events with lots of very cool people, not sure what they'll be getting up to in Newport but the potential is there.
If 2023 had the worst ending of any festival you attended then why are you blaming the artist who went second to last (LDR) instead of the one who closed (Billy Strings)?
I mean I know what the answer is but still
Second this confusion.
How on earth was the ending “the worst of any festival (OP) attended” AND that OP blames Lana Del Ray for that?
Did some of the crowd in the pit suck for LDR? Yes. But it wasn’t the young girls sing-screaming along who sucked. It was the middle-age men wearing captain hats who spent the day drinking and showed up and pushed in moments after she started playing who sucked. (Those men have always been at Newport; they just usually spend their day on the beer pier and not in the pit.)
LDR showed extreme reverence for the stage she was playing on. She had one of the most Newport sets of all “headliners” playing last year: playing a few unique songs that were not part of her tour, bringing out multiple special guests to play along with her to create unique and intimate moments. All while probably losing some time in her set from what she was promised or had expected because the festival chose to move Billy to the headliner spot once it was determined he’d be a late arrival at the fest that day.
So she had some dancers on stage? The festival used to book cloggers… so choreographed dancing isn’t an anomaly at Newport either.
OK,
Am back. So first off, my quote comes off as the worst of any festival attended... and the context should have stated that it was the worst of any Newport festival I have attended. Newport endings have been super special since Roger Waters in 2015 (with the exception of COVID disruptions) and last year was a let down.
Yes, Billy Strings likely owns some of the blame. But from what I have heard from back stage sources (that may or may not be trusted) it was Lana's demands that killed the Newport vibe. She wanted her own space, rehearsal time, was upset about time changes, etc. I was super dissapointed that Billy didn't have any guests but even moreso that there was barely anyone on the side of the stage even watching. It was so different from the Kumbaya feeling that every closing has had for the past several years.
And... yes, the crowd for Lana was super awful for me. The guy standing behind me had flown up from Miami just for Lana... arrived an hour before hand and was asking me what the quickest way to leave was after her set. The two girls around me sob-sung every lyric and held their phones up for the entire set. Was impossible to enjoy... and I was ready to enjoy it. I love her music. Was one of the rare instances where seeing a performer live was a let down compared to their recorded music.
Ultimately Jay is responsible as the festival organizer so should not blame either Lana or Billy.... Separate thread for the Jay salary discussion.
For reference, for 2023, 402k a year puts Jay Sweet just under the 99th percentile for individual income: dqydj.com/income-percentile-calculator/. I’m sure there are a million behind the scene things we don’t see and that Jay Sweet works very hard, but it does blow my mind when I see non-profit leaders make so much in general.
OK, about Jay's salary.
In examining year-over-year payments, it seems clear that Jay is likely in a profit-sharing arrangement. This is evident as his salary has decreased in certain years, which incentivizes performance and motivation. I understand the logic behind this.
However, this compensation needs to be reassessed. While pjl44 's comment about Doctors Without Borders was amusing, it’s important to remember that Newport Festivals Foundation is a non-profit. We should be careful not to transform it into something akin to "Bourbon and Beyond" or any other Live Nation festival. Newport has a unique history, having been founded as music for the people, with a mission to bring music education to children. What would Pete Seeger say about paying the organizers at such an elite level.
The membership program is marketed as a way to donate to the foundation and support music education. Non-profits and their boards must be held accountable.
In 2014, Jay earned a reasonable $168,000. Over the next 10 years, this rose to $402,000.
If Newport Festivals Foundation no longer wishes to operate as a non-profit, they should consider transitioning away from this model and forgoing the associated tax benefits and goodwill. As long as they remain a non-profit, the board must diligently oversee expenditures to ensure they align with the organization’s mission.
For reference, for 2023, 402k a year puts Jay Sweet just under the 99th percentile for individual income: dqydj.com/income-percentile-calculator/. I’m sure there are a million behind the scene things we don’t see and that Jay Sweet works very hard, but it does blow my mind when I see non-profit leaders make so much in general.
OK, about Jay's salary.
In examining year-over-year payments, it seems clear that Jay is likely in a profit-sharing arrangement. This is evident as his salary has decreased in certain years, which incentivizes performance and motivation. I understand the logic behind this.
However, this compensation needs to be reassessed. While pjl44 's comment about Doctors Without Borders was amusing, it’s important to remember that Newport Festivals Foundation is a non-profit. We should be careful not to transform it into something akin to "Bourbon and Beyond" or any other Live Nation festival. Newport has a unique history, having been founded as music for the people, with a mission to bring music education to children. What would Pete Seeger say about paying the organizers at such an elite level.
The membership program is marketed as a way to donate to the foundation and support music education. Non-profits and their boards must be held accountable.
In 2014, Jay earned a reasonable $168,000. Over the next 10 years, this rose to $402,000.
If Newport Festivals Foundation no longer wishes to operate as a non-profit, they should consider transitioning away from this model and forgoing the associated tax benefits and goodwill. As long as they remain a non-profit, the board must diligently oversee expenditures to ensure they align with the organization’s mission.
Agreed. A lotta people don’t want to read/hear this, but it’s true. Easy to plant your face in the sand and say I don’t care about that side of the business.
But let’s be honest…they want the tax benefits….so they’ll stay “non profit”
Also - when you look back at the earlier years of this festival, Wein took pennies to nothing for salary.
Nobody cares about how things are run, until one day they’re wondering “what happened to this festival”.
Invoking Pete Seeger is the real chef's kiss. "People don't like hearing it" is true in the sense that people tend to avoid miserable curs. I'll go and have another delightful weekend and thank goodness someone else is cosplaying as a board member.
How on earth was the ending “the worst of any festival (OP) attended” AND that OP blames Lana Del Ray for that?
Did some of the crowd in the pit suck for LDR? Yes. But it wasn’t the young girls sing-screaming along who sucked. It was the middle-age men wearing captain hats who spent the day drinking and showed up and pushed in moments after she started playing who sucked. (Those men have always been at Newport; they just usually spend their day on the beer pier and not in the pit.)
LDR showed extreme reverence for the stage she was playing on. She had one of the most Newport sets of all “headliners” playing last year: playing a few unique songs that were not part of her tour, bringing out multiple special guests to play along with her to create unique and intimate moments. All while probably losing some time in her set from what she was promised or had expected because the festival chose to move Billy to the headliner spot once it was determined he’d be a late arrival at the fest that day.
So she had some dancers on stage? The festival used to book cloggers… so choreographed dancing isn’t an anomaly at Newport either.
OK,
Am back. So first off, my quote comes off as the worst of any festival attended... and the context should have stated that it was the worst of any Newport festival I have attended. Newport endings have been super special since Roger Waters in 2015 (with the exception of COVID disruptions) and last year was a let down.
Yes, Billy Strings likely owns some of the blame. But from what I have heard from back stage sources (that may or may not be trusted) it was Lana's demands that killed the Newport vibe. She wanted her own space, rehearsal time, was upset about time changes, etc. I was super dissapointed that Billy didn't have any guests but even moreso that there was barely anyone on the side of the stage even watching. It was so different from the Kumbaya feeling that every closing has had for the past several years.
And... yes, the crowd for Lana was super awful for me. The guy standing behind me had flown up from Miami just for Lana... arrived an hour before hand and was asking me what the quickest way to leave was after her set. The two girls around me sob-sung every lyric and held their phones up for the entire set. Was impossible to enjoy... and I was ready to enjoy it. I love her music. Was one of the rare instances where seeing a performer live was a let down compared to their recorded music.
Ultimately Jay is responsible as the festival organizer so should not blame either Lana or Billy.... Separate thread for the Jay salary discussion.
The Lana part is pretty revealing in that you're bitter other people are getting the fix you got years ago but no longer do. I've been there. It happens with art. You gotta have the dignity to just take your time and money elsewhere instead of being determined to shit in the punch bowl.
The Lana part is pretty revealing in that you're bitter other people are getting the fix you got years ago but no longer do. I've been there. It happens with art. You gotta have the dignity to just take your time and money elsewhere instead of being determined to shit in the punch bowl.
Yeah as someone who has sob sung a song or two in my day it’s pretty tough to agree with this take. What are we here for? Obviously I’ve stood next to shitty people too but do we all have to stand with our arms crossed? People having an emotional connection to music is not something I’m gonna attack.
Agreed. A lotta people don’t want to read/hear this, but it’s true. Easy to plant your face in the sand and say I don’t care about that side of the business.
But let’s be honest…they want the tax benefits….so they’ll stay “non profit”
Also - when you look back at the earlier years of this festival, Wein took pennies to nothing for salary.
Nobody cares about how things are run, until one day they’re wondering “what happened to this festival”.
I think these are all good points. It *is* hard to hear coming out of the “In Jay we trust” era, but I think discussion of his salary is fair play, especially considering they market the expensive, guaranteed ticket options as “memberships.” I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect some say in the process, however small, if you’re a “member.” If memory serves Jay was also a music supervisor who came up in Hollywood with the Farrelly brothers, so I’m gonna guess he wasn’t exactly in the poor house when he took over.
All that said, and I’m not asking this to start a fight, I’m genuinely curious, what do we think about the actual charitable activities of the fest? I know they make donations to a wide variety of causes every year “on behalf of the artists,” but do we know how that works? Does the fest take the money from the alleged “pay cuts” the artists take and donate the equivalent amount? Or does that come out of the “profits” from the fest? What about the instrument donations I see for most of the off-season on Instagram? Doing genuine good? Just good marketing?
I think it’s worth interrogating the non-profit nature of the fest, beyond Jay’s salary. I’ve got a family member who works in the museum space, and there is no question that some non-profits take advantage of people who want to do good in order to enrich people at the top under the guise of charity.
Again, I am asking these questions in good faith and not just trying to start shit. My engagement with the charitable side of this is whatever they post on Instagram, so I genuinely don’t know what counts as “enough.” Just curious what others think about that.
I’m also not going this year despite really wanting to lol.
