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1_Flight Of The Conchords_Newport Folk Festival

(Flight Of The Conchords)

Last year was my first time at the annual Newport Folk Festival, and what a revelation it was. I feel foolish for never venturing out to the festival, which is easily one of the best festival that you will find in America. The only thing that matters here is music, so leave your ego, flower crows and selfie sticks at the door. This year featured another great lineup, and day 1 kicked it off with a well balanced lineup featuring legends of the past and today, and some upcoming talent.

Kicking off Day 1 for me was Fruit Bats, the project of Chicago native Eric D. Johnson. From there I was blown away by the power and pure soul of Birmingham, Alabama’s St. Paul and The Broken Bones, who I somehow had never seen before that performance. After catching an energetic performance from Delta Spirit frontman Matthew Logan Vasquez, it was off to catch the legendary Violent Femmes who amazingly opened their set with “Blister in the Sun” and “Kiss Off.”

1_case : lang : veirs_Newport Folk Festival

(case / lang / veirs)

Things took a calmer turn from there with a performance from case / lang / veirs, the lovely new supergroup featuring none other than k.d. lang, Neko Case, and Laura Veirs. Then came another pairing supergroup of sorts, the new live band of Ray LaMontagne, who is backed up by all of My Morning Jacket, minus Jim James.

One of the best parts of Newport is that people just show up unexpectedly. This year featured a surprise appearance from legendary singer and actor Kris Kristofferson at the tiny Museum Stage, where he delighted one hundred or so lucky fans who were quick enough to get into the building before the word really got out. Then there’s the case of seeing a group like Dan Auerbach’s The Arcs, on the smaller stage inside a tent, a big difference from seeing them at Terminal 5 last year.

1_The Arcs_Newport Folk Festival

(The Arcs)

And then I finished things off with a set from the hilarious New Zealand comedy duo, Flight Of The Conchords. I saw them a few months prior at The Capitol Theatre, and while that was a different experience, seeing their handle on a large festival crowd spoke to their power not just as comedians, but as musicians. Making comedy sound that good isn’t an easy task, but it’s clearly not a problem for the dynamic duo of Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie.

Find a photo gallery of all the performances we caught on day 1, posted below.

Fruit Bats:

1_The Fruit Bats_Newport Folk Festival

2_The Fruit Bats_Newport Folk Festival

3_The Fruit Bats_Newport Folk Festival

4_The Fruit Bats_Newport Folk Festival

5_The Fruit Bats_Newport Folk Festival

6_The Fruit Bats_Newport Folk Festival

7_The Fruit Bats_Newport Folk Festival

8_The Fruit Bats_Newport Folk Festival



St. Paul and the Broken Bones:

1_St. Paul and the Broken Bones_Newport Folk Festival

2_St. Paul and the Broken Bones_Newport Folk Festival

3_St. Paul and the Broken Bones_Newport Folk Festival

4_St. Paul and the Broken Bones_Newport Folk Festival

5_St. Paul and the Broken Bones_Newport Folk Festival

6_St. Paul and the Broken Bones_Newport Folk Festival

7_St. Paul and the Broken Bones_Newport Folk Festival

8_St. Paul and the Broken Bones_Newport Folk Festival

9_St. Paul and the Broken Bones_Newport Folk Festival

Matthew Logan Vasquez:

1_Matthew Logan Vasquez_Newport Folk Festival

2_Matthew Logan Vasquez_Newport Folk Festival

3_Matthew Logan Vasquez_Newport Folk Festival

4_Matthew Logan Vasquez_Newport Folk Festival

5_Matthew Logan Vasquez_Newport Folk Festival

6_Matthew Logan Vasquez_Newport Folk Festival

7_Matthew Logan Vasquez_Newport Folk Festival

8_Matthew Logan Vasquez_Newport Folk Festival

9_Matthew Logan Vasquez_Newport Folk Festival

10_Matthew Logan Vasquez_Newport Folk Festival

11_Matthew Logan Vasquez_Newport Folk Festival

Violent Femmes:

1_Violent Femmes_Newport Folk Festival

2_Violent Femmes_Newport Folk Festival

3_Violent Femmes_Newport Folk Festival

4_Violent Femmes_Newport Folk Festival

5_Violent Femmes_Newport Folk Festival

6_Violent Femmes_Newport Folk Festival

7_Violent Femmes_Newport Folk Festival

8_Violent Femmes_Newport Folk Festival

9_Violent Femmes_Newport Folk Festival

10_Violent Femmes_Newport Folk Festival

11_Violent Femmes_Newport Folk Festival

case / lang / veirs:

2_case : lang : veirs_Newport Folk Festival

3_case : lang : veirs_Newport Folk Festival

4_case : lang : veirs_Newport Folk Festival

5_case : lang : veirs_Newport Folk Festival

6_case : lang : veirs_Newport Folk Festival

7_case : lang : veirs_Newport Folk Festival

Ray Lamontagne:

1_Ray Lamontagne_Newport Folk Festival

2_Ray Lamontagne_Newport Folk Festival

3_Ray Lamontagne_Newport Folk Festival

4_Ray Lamontagne_Newport Folk Festival

5_Ray Lamontagne_Newport Folk Festival

6_Ray Lamontagne_Newport Folk Festival

Kris Kristofferson:

1_Kris Kristofferson_Newport Folk Festival

2_Kris Kristofferson_Newport Folk Festival

3_Kris Kristofferson_Newport Folk Festival

4_Kris Kristofferson_Newport Folk Festival

The Arcs:

2_The Arcs_Newport Folk Festival

3_The Arcs_Newport Folk Festival

4_The Arcs_Newport Folk Festival

5_The Arcs_Newport Folk Festival

6_The Arcs_Newport Folk Festival

7_The Arcs_Newport Folk Festival

8_The Arcs_Newport Folk Festival

9_The Arcs_Newport Folk Festival

10_The Arcs_Newport Folk Festival

11_The Arcs_Newport Folk Festival

12_The Arcs_Newport Folk Festival

13_The Arcs_Newport Folk Festival

Flight Of The Conchords:

2_Flight Of The Conchords_Newport Folk Festival

3_Flight Of The Conchords_Newport Folk Festival

4_Flight Of The Conchords_Newport Folk Festival

5_Flight Of The Conchords_Newport Folk Festival

6_Flight Of The Conchords_Newport Folk Festival

7_Flight Of The Conchords_Newport Folk Festival

8_Flight Of The Conchords_Newport Folk Festival

9_Flight Of The Conchords_Newport Folk Festival

10_Flight Of The Conchords_Newport Folk Festival

11_Flight Of The Conchords_Newport Folk Festival

12_Flight Of The Conchords_Newport Folk Festival

13_Flight Of The Conchords_Newport Folk Festival


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