I learned quickly about how different Newport Folk Festival is from other festivals. Although there are multiple stages and many fans in attendance, theres an intimacy at the festival that you just can’t find anywhere else. For instance, at what other festival will an artist just announce a last minute solo set at an intimate little building in the middle of the festival?
That’s exactly what Colin Meloy did on day 2 of the Newport Folk Festival, hours before he’d take the main stage alongside The Decembrists. I received a notification from the Newport Folk Fest mobile app notifying me that Meloy would be playing some “traditional folk songs.”
It was a brief 4-song set full of three covers (Anne Briggs’ “Thorneymoor Woods,” “The Fair Flower Of Northumberland” and Jackson C. Frank’s “Blues Run The Game”) as well The Decemberists’ “June Hymn.” It was wonderful to see such a low key personal performance from Meloy, especially given how prolific that The Decemberists have become.
Find some photos from the performance posted below.
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