Walking the grounds of Newport Folk Festival, there was much speculation from fellow media members, fans, as well as artists/industry folk about who the special guests could be for grand finale of the festival,’65 Revisited. The performance served as a special tribute to the 50th anniversary of Bob Dylan’s legendary 1965 set at the festival where he went electric. After getting special sets from My Morning Jacket (who also served as Roger Waters’ backing band) and James Taylor, expectations were pretty damn high.
I won’t go through the countless number of now hysterical predictions that I heard throughout the weekend from (Neil Young to Pete Townshend to even freaking Bono), but it turns out that there really wasn’t any huge spectacle to be found, but rather a collection of refined special guests, along with various artists who played previously that day at the festival.
One by one we got a variety of special guests sharing covers of classic Dylan tunes, sometimes alone, sometimes joined by each others company. The list is long an extensive, and wholly impressive on the whole. Guests included: Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Deer Tick, Dawes, Klara Söderberg of First Aid Kit, Blake Mills, Hozier, Willie Watson, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Al Kooper, and Robyn Hitchcock.
It was an unforgettable set of collaboration and celebration, one that we will never see in the same way ever again. It may not have had the “giant star power” that people were anticipating, but it was a perfect combination of talent, both old and new, that served as a pitch perfect tribute to not only Dylan, but the festival.
Find a gallery of photos of all the artists that participated in ’65 Revisited, posted below, along with the detailed setlist:
1. Mr. Tamborine Man (with Gillian Welch & David Rawlings)
2. All I Really Want to Do (with Willie Watson)
3. Love Minus Zero (Willie Watson,Gillian Welch & David Rawlings)
4. It’s All Over Now Baby Blue (with Gillian Welch & David Rawlings)
5. Maggie’s Farm (with Dawes)
6. Takes a Train to Cry (Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Welch, Dawes, Al Kooper)
7. Tom’s Thumbs Blues (Pres Hall, Welch, Dawes, Rawlings, Kooper, Hozier and First Aid Kit)
8. Outlaw Blues (Deer Tick, Dawes, Al Kooper)
9. Just Like a Woman (Welch, Rawlings, Dawes, Kooper and Blake Mills)
10. Visions of Johanna (Welch, Rawlings, Dawes, Al Kooper and Robyn Hitchcock)
11. One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later) (Welch, Rawlings, Dawes, Al Kooper)
12. Like a Rolling Stone (Welch, Rawlings, Dawes, Kooper)
13. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Everybody)
Join the conversation