It was hard to imagine a world where Newport Folk Festival could top the surprise of Paul Simon as a guest during Day 2 (find Day 1 coverage here) – but yet, the festival seems to always find a way to tap into the most magical recesses of the musical mind.
All weekend there were whispers that Joni Mitchell was going to appear as a guest alongside Brandi Carlile’s “Coyote Jam” set, which turned out to really be “Joni Jam” a Joni Mitchell tribute and performance from the legendary songwriter herself in what was her first full set since 2000; as well her first return to Newport Folk Festival since 1969.
Alongside Mitchell and Carlile, they were joined by performers of the weekends and friends such as Taylor Goldsmith, Blake Mills, Lucius, Alison Russell, Ben Lusher, Celisse Henderson, The Hanseroth Twins, Josh Neumann, Kyleen King, Marcus Mumford, Rich Whitfield, Shooter Jennings, SistaStrings, Wyonna Judd.
It was a remarkable and moving performance that had audience members visually touched and wiping away countless tears as they performed all of her classics, with the culmination of the evening in the performance of “Both Sides, Now.”
I don’t know how the festival will ever top this 1-2 punch of Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell, but that’s a problem for next year. For now, this will go down as one of the great music festival weekends of recent memory and a moment that all lucky enough to witness will cherish forever.
Along with this unforgettable performance, Day 3 featured sets from Japanese Breakfast, The Roots, Sylvan Esso, The Linda Lindas, Valerie June, and more.
Find a full set of photos from all the performances we caught during Day 3, posted in the gallery below.
Buffalo Nichols:
Hermanos Gutierrez:
Valerie June:
Dakhabrakha:
The Linda Lindas:
Taylor Goldsmith:
Sylvan Esso:
Joy Oladokun:
Blake Mills:
The Roots:
Maren Morris:
Japanese Breakfast:
Joni Jam:
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