Wilco, My Morning Jacket Top Newport Folk Festival Bill
The Newport Folk Festival, the beacon of American music festivals, is returning this weekend to Rhode Island’s Fort Adams State Park with a characteristically strong lineup. In its 53rd year, the fest will kick off with Wilco on Friday night accompanied by Blitzen Trapper and Megafaun.
The breathtaking setting of the Narragansett Bay’s blue, blue waters will only enhance the American folk party that combines old-timers and fresh indie acts. The weekend’s most notable headliners include My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst, Deer Tick, Iron & Wine and Jackson Browne. Rock and soul newcomers Alabama Shakes and old standbys like the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Guthrie Family will pay tribute to the 100th birthday of Woody Guthrie. Tom Morello, a.k.a. the Nightwatchman, will also bring his high-energy protest anthems to the festival. “The Nightwatchman will be going dark and spooky at Newport,” Morello tells Rolling Stone. “Also shredding his ass off.”
An attendance list of about 10,000 people each day is expected as tickets nearly disappeared three months in advance.
Scheduled highlights are as follows:
Friday, July 27th
Megafaun, 5 p.m.
Blitzen Trapper, 6 p.m.
Wilco, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 28th
Robert Ellis, 11:30 a.m.
Brown Bird, 12 p.m.
Jonny Corndawg, 12:30 p.m.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, 12:40 p.m.
Deer Tick, 1:40 p.m.
Alabama Shakes, 2 p.m.
Sharon Van Etten, 2:55 p.m.
Dawes, 3:25 p.m.
Iron & Wine, 4:15 p.m.
Patty Griffin, 4:45 p.m.
Guthrie Family Reunion, 5:35 p.m.
My Morning Jacket, 6 p.m.
Sunday, July 29th
Kossoy Sisters, 11:35 a.m.
Sara Watkins, 11:40 a.m.
Joel Rafael, 12:30 p.m.
Joe Fletcher, 12:30 p.m.
Trampled By Turtles, 12:40 p.m.
Rodriguez, 1:35 p.m.
New Multitudes, 1:40 p.m.
Jonathan Wilson, 1:40 p.m.
Charles Bradley, 2 p.m.
Gary Clark Jr., 2:55 p.m.
Tom Morello (The Nightwatchman), 3 p.m.
The Head and the Heart, 3:25 p.m.
Of Monsters And Men, 4:15 p.m.
Carl Broemel, 4:30 p.m.
Conor Oberst, 4:45 p.m.
Punch Brothers, 5:35 p.m.
The Tallest Man on Earth, 5:40 p.m.
Jackson Browne, 6:05 p.m.