Newport July 24, 2015

“Does anyone else feel like they’re floating?” Joe Fletcher asked those of us at the Museum Stage on Friday. God, I did–what an incredible day. I took Brian’s advice to focus more on the smaller stages than the big ones, and that paid off immensely. In every instance, I sat in the first or second row and felt as connected to the musicians as I do at any small venue in Boston or Cambridge. I was only able to attend the festival on Friday, so this is limited to that lineup. Here are some highlights in the style of youth-league team awards (I was “best dribbler” on my team, by the way, which gives you a good indication of my basketball skillz).

Best D’Angelo Cover: Bahamas. OK, maybe it was the only D’Angelo cover on Friday. Bahamas opened their set with “One Mo’Gin.” This band is fantastic–so smooth and confident. Afie is very dry and funny in his stage banter and nonchalantly masterful with the guitar–he plucks notes with a soul vibe and then squeezes in runs that almost shouldn’t fit in the bar. Set highlight: Lost in the Light.

Best Telepathic Communication: Hiss Golden Messenger. MC Taylor referred to his band-mates Phil Cook (guitar, keyboards), Bradley Cook (bass) and Matt McCaughan (drums) as his brothers, and that trust and relationship was evident. They really listened to each other play and responded to each other as Taylor prowled around the stage and Phil Cook took each solo on guitar or organ to newer heights. There was a sense of deep connection between these guys that went way beyond their impressive musicianship and reached the interdependence that music is supposed to reflect and inspire. Set highlights: Call Him Daylight and Brother, Do You Know the Road?

Best Unabashed Enthusiast: Dan Blakeslee. Throughout the day, Dan fist-pumped, danced, cheered and hugged his fellow musicians. This guy is an incredible songwriter in his own right and if you don’t know his stuff, get to know it now. My Favorite Tune: Picture in My Wallet.

Best Laughs (While Also Ripping on the Guitar): Aaron Lee Tasjan. ALT had the line of the day when he recalled being driven to school by his mom and listening to the blue Beatles tape, saying, “And the irony is not lost on me that my mom drove me to this festival today.” He is very self-deprecating and unassuming, and then he breaks out these powerful vocals and very fast breaks on the guitar. He only played three songs during the Wilwood Festival line-up and I would happily drive a good distance to see him again. Set highlight: Streets of Galilee.

Most Vulnerability: John Moreland. After he tuned up, he said, “My name’s John Moreland and here’s some songs I made up.” And then he had the crowd at pindrop level for the next thirty minutes. Standing ovation for this set of brutal honesty. Set highlight: Nobody Gives a Damn About Songs Anymore.

Best Surprise: Dave Rawlings. People had said that you never know who’s going to show up at Newport. But this guy?! When he walked onto the Museum Stage, I scared several people with my reaction (sorry, folks). A woman turned to me and asked who it was. I said, “Maybe the nastiest guitar player in America.” “OK,” she said to me, very skeptically. Then Joe Fletcher and Rawlings played Bob Dylan’s tune “Trying to Get To Heaven” and during Dave’s solo, she just turned around to me and nodded. Yep, that was nasty.

Best Big Brother: Joe Fletcher. What was most evident from the Wildwood Revival set was how much Joe has taken other musicians under his wing and how humbly he does so. All the other acts who played during the Wildwood lineup were standing in the wings, singing Joe’s songs line for line during his set. Set highlight: Rosary Beads, a new song from his most recent daytrotter session.

Best Vacillation Between Opposite States of Being: Fiona Apple.When I got over to the Watkins Family Hour, Fiona Apple was sitting on the stage, her legs in a pretzel, tapping out rhythm with a stick. She seemed as removed from her band-mates as anyone could be. Then, it was her turn to sing. She got up, stretched a little bit and blew the roof off the Harbor Stage tent with a cover of “Object of My Affection” by the Boswell Sisters. Then she sat back down, kind of looking around, seemingly only passingly aware that the rest of the band was playing. Then she stood back up, jitterbugged, and blew us away again on “Hop High.”  This band was a real treat–they were having such a good time and the solos from Sara Watkins, Sean Watkins and Benmont Tench were incredible. Set highlight: Brokedown Palace (with Joe Pug).

Most Likely To Make You Feel Like You Were Part of Something Special: Wildwood Revival. As you might be able to tell, I spent a good part of the afternoon at the Museum Stage, where Libby Rose and Jess Collier had curated an incredible lineup of musicians to create a festival-within-the-festival. Joe Fletcher thanked us a couple of times for being there. I felt damn lucky to be there, making eye contact with these incredible artists, not watching them on a jumbotron. And don’t get me wrong–the bigger stages were wonderful too and the artists worked hard to make them intimate and the festival producers should be commended for creating small spaces throughout the Fort. But damn, within three minutes of hanging out at the Wildwood Revival, it felt like home. Which bring us to the highlight of the day:

Best Sing-A-Long: Rainy Day Women #12 & 35. Taking turns with verses were Joe Fletcher, Ian Fitzgerald, Aaron Lee Tasjan, JP Harris (with an excellent Dylan impression, by the way), and Margo Price (crazy good vocals). Taking the chorus was the whole damn room. It was a blast.

Thanks so much to everyone at this festival. So much work went into this day, so much of it thankless. But you created something truly special. I think I’ll have to buy my 2016 tickets (and three days, definitely)…now.