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77-669: There were two separate events staged in the late 1960s that are commonly referred to as the "Newport Pop Festival." The first was called the Newport Pop Festival — no relation to the folk or jazz festivals in Rhode Island — and was held at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California, on the weekend of August 3–4, 1968. The second event was originally billed as "Newport 69," and

154-563: A concept that referenced Dylan's going electric. The set was recorded and turned into a feature film directed by Michael B Borofsky, titled Pixies: Acoustic: Live in Newport. In 2013, NAKA producers Alyson Young and Beverly Penninger released The Newport Effect, a documentary exploring the impact of the Newport Folk Festival since its inception in 1959. The film features interviews, performances, and behind-the-scenes footage of

231-414: A few occasions in those years, but remained commercially strong enough to continue growing and to attract strong audiences for both traditional and contemporary artists. The Newport Folk Festival has, throughout various points in its history, remained connected to protest movements. In the 1960s, the festival played a substantial part in the civil rights movement. In the early 80's the Newport Folk Festival

308-452: A focal point in the expanding genre of folk music. The festival was held in Newport annually from 1959 to 1969, except in 1961 and 1962, first at Freebody Park and then at Festival Field. In 1985, Wein revived the festival in Newport, where it has been held at Fort Adams State Park ever since. The Newport Folk Festival was started in 1959 by George Wein , founder of the already-well-established Newport Jazz Festival and owner of Storyville ,

385-487: A jazz club located in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1958, Wein became aware of the growing Folk Revival movement and began inviting folk artists such as Odetta to perform on Sunday afternoons at Storyville. The afternoon performances consistently sold out and Wein began to consider the possibility of a "folk afternoon embedded within the 1959 Newport Jazz Festival". Wein envisioned the program to be "similar in scope and tone to

462-463: A moderate version of the boogaloo. The second day's climax came when David Crosby started a planned pie fight with Jefferson Airplane. In all, 250 cream pies flew back and forth ... and the thousands of people present stormed the stage to join in. The musical line-up was an impressive one. Besides those already mentioned, bands appearing were Alice Cooper, Steppenwolf, Sonny and Cher, Canned Heat, Electric Flag, Butterfield Blues Band, Eric Burdon and

539-556: A not-for-profit, the festival became a for-profit in the mid-1980s. However, in 2011, the festival announced it would return to its non-profit status under the umbrella of the Newport Festivals Foundation. The Foundation not only strived to sustain the Newport Folk and Newport Jazz Festival, but also expand the impact of its Festivals through educational initiatives that celebrate innovation while preserving

616-412: A raised stage under a striped canopy, but the young crowds were left sitting or standing in a huge, flat, dusty-dry open field under a broiling sun. Refreshment and rest room facilities were less than adequate and the sound system was not powerful enough to carry the sound to everyone present. The highlight of the pop fest on the first day (Saturday) seemed to come when Country Joe closed the bill. The hour

693-597: A rich connection to protest movements. In the '60s, the festival became a platform for artists who played a substantial part in the civil rights and anti-war movements, including Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Tom Paxton, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and the Staple Singers, among many others. In the mid-80s, a new generation of artists—from the Indigo Girls to Tom Morello—also provided keen social commentary from

770-401: A rock act. The lawsuit was over trade names and, within the last few days before the '69 show, the court ordered that Robinson had to use "not affiliated with the Newport Pop Festival" disclaimers in advertising. Otherwise, he would not have been able to stage a "Newport 70" show using that name. A round flyer with the dimensions of a 45RPM record was used to promote the 1968 Costa Mesa show and

847-409: A self-taught amateur musician and farmer, recorded 13 songs for Okeh Records which failed to achieve commercial success. Believing his musical career to be over, Hurt continued farming, apparently thinking little of his brief recording gig. Post WWII, few records cut by southern musicians in the 1920s were commercially available. Hurt's records were particularly rare, since few had been manufactured in

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924-492: A similarly uncomfortable weekend festival last summer in another Los Angeles dust bin. Among other highlights that concert-goers recall were when helicopters flew overhead, dropping flowers on the audience. And on Sunday, Sonny and Cher arrived by helicopter and were later booed off the stage. Bands performing at the Festival: Saturday, August 3, 1968 Alice Cooper , Canned Heat , The Chambers Brothers ,

1001-561: A standing ovation during a "young performers" showcase. However, Taylor only performed for 15 minutes before Wein ended the festival early with the announcement that Apollo 11 had landed on the Moon. The Folk Festival did not return to Newport in 1970, due to financial issues and local controversies involving the Newport Jazz Festival. Following a riot at the jazz festival in 1971, Wein moved his jazz festival to New York, but

1078-469: A talent scout, traveling across the country with folklorist Ralph Rinzler to bring undiscovered artists of all kinds to the Newport stage. It was Jones's dream to revive the folk event, and in 1985, he persuaded the Weins to bring back the Newport Folk Festival. With Jones at the helm, Newport Folk programs honored traditional forms of American roots music (blues, bluegrass, Cajun, gospel, and more) alongside

1155-587: A teenaged Alison Krauss's major festival debut, iconic blues performances from B.B. King, Susan Tedeschi, and Bonnie Raitt, early incarnations of the Indigo Girls, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, and Joan Baez as Four Voices in Harmony, classic performances by Weir & Wasserman, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Joan Armatrading, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, and Wilco, and in 2005, an extended collaborative set with Bright Eyes, Jim James and M. Ward. The festival sold out on only

1232-552: A week-long stay in New York that spanned Christmas 1928. Apparently homesick in the big city, Hurt included a line about his home in Avalon being always on his mind. Hoskins and Stewart were able to locate Avalon and track Hurt down. After asking Hurt to perform, to ensure he was actually who he claimed to be, Hoskins convinced Hurt to move to Washington, D.C., and embark on a national tour. The tour culminated on Saturday evening of

1309-596: A well known early East Bay promoter (see "Teens N Twenties" and "The East Bay Scene, Garage Bands from the '60s, Then and Now"). Schmidt also operated a well-known rock nightclub, the Odyssey Room, in Sunnyvale, California, from 1969 to 1989 (see Odyssey Room Revisited) and a venue just outside Reno, Nevada on Mt. Rose called the Reindeer Lodge which, as of 2010, still hosts occasional shows. Mark Robinson, at

1386-450: A wide range of contemporary songwriters, classic Americana bands such as Little Feat and The Band, world music artists, early jam bands, AAA artists, Irish and British folk-rock, Mardi Gras Indians, and alt-country groups. The festival inaugurated a Friday night concert, established Song Circles with songwriters such as Shawn Colvin, Sarah McLachlan, and Buddy Miller in the round, and expanded to three stages. Other groundbreaking sets included

1463-588: Is an annual American folk -oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island , which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival . The festival was founded by music promoter and Jazz Festival founder George Wein , music manager Albert Grossman , and folk singers Pete Seeger , Theodore Bikel , and Oscar Brand . It was one of the first modern music festivals in America and remains

1540-495: Is included in "The Art of Rock," a publication of 1960s and 1970s poster art. This flyer has sold on eBay for as much as $ 500. The first Newport Pop Festival was held at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California, on the weekend of August 3–4, 1968. It is believed to have been the first pop music concert with over 100,000 paid attendees. The 1968 event was originally scheduled to be held inside

1617-419: Is known for its beautiful setting- as the music blog Consequence of Sound writes: "Located at the gorgeously scenic Fort Adams, in Newport, Rhode Island, glimmering, clear blue water surrounds the small vivid green peninsula. Look out from the fort towers and you'll see hundreds of beautiful boats rocking along the water." ( Consequence of Sound ). My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James told Spin : "You've got

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1694-541: Is the only U.S. state which still officially celebrates the holiday, and the Naval War College is also in Newport, two miles from the Fort Adams State Park where the festival is held. In 2002, Bob Dylan returned to the Newport Folk Festival for the first time since his iconic performance in 1965, when he went electric. George Wein noted that the anticipation in 2002 was intense. “The question

1771-458: Is what will he do at Newport? We have never asked. Whatever it is, it will be all right with me.” Rick Massimo, music writer, recalls Dylan took the stage in “a white cowboy hat, a fake beard, and a long, stringy-haired wig” in what seemed a wry acknowledgment of the legions of music journalists and photographers who came to document his return. Backstage guests included Al Gore and Richard Gere, alongside dozens of other musicians who flocked to hear

1848-605: The Charles Lloyd Quartet , Country Joe and the Fish , The Electric Flag , James Cotton Blues Band , Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Sonny & Cher , Blue Cheer , Steppenwolf , Tiny Tim , Illinois Speed Press , Iron Butterfly . During the Charles Lloyd Quartet set, a local group called Super Chief began playing a Lee Michaels song, "Hello," on an alternate stage at the rear of the crowd. Most of

1925-501: The Preservation Hall Jazz Band of New Orleans. The ensemble performed a collection of Dylan's material, ending the performance with "Rainy Day Women No. 12 and 35,". The 2020 edition of the festival was canceled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Artists who were scheduled to perform at the festival were invited to return for the 2021 edition. In March 2021, Rhode Island governor Dan McKee announced that

2002-637: The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) formed a gospel vocal quartet named the Freedom Singers . And in 1962, Pete and Toshi Seeger assisted the Freedom Singers in organizing a nationwide collegiate tour. As a result, the civil rights movement became deeply embraced by the folk music community. In 1963, the Freedom Singers performed on the first night of the Newport Folk festival, and on

2079-557: The 1963 Newport Folk Festival, when Mississippi John Hurt performed alongside Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry and John Lee Hooker for a blues workshop at the Newport Casino. The performance is considered to be a seminal moment for the folk revival and caused Hurt to rise to fame. He performed extensively at colleges, concert halls, and coffeehouses and appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Bob Dylan's 1963 and 1964 performances solo and with Baez had made him popular with

2156-552: The 1968 event, the Costa Mesa City Council vowed to prevent a Newport Pop Festival encore. "To say that we would not like it back here would be the understatement of the year," said Costa Mesa Mayor Alvin Pinkley. Attended by an estimated 200,000 fans on June 20–22, 1969, this festival was the largest pop concert up to that time and is considered the more famous of the two Newport Pop Festivals, possibly because of

2233-631: The 50th anniversary of Bob Dylan going electric at Newport, the Festival scheduled a program titled 65 Revisited on the final night of the 2015 festival. The program's details and performers were kept secret before the performance - prompting various rumors including the return of Bob Dylan. Instead, the program featured an array of more contemporary musicians, including Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes , Gillian Welch and David Rawlings , Willie Watson , Hozier and Klara Soderberg of First Aid Kit, John McCauley and Ian O'Neil of Deer Tick , Robyn Hitchcock and

2310-703: The Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton on October 25–26, 1968. That show drew over 40,000 people and featured Creedence Clearwater Revival , the Chambers Brothers, José Feliciano , Deep Purple , Procol Harum , Johnny Rivers , Iron Butterfly , Eric Burdon and the Animals , Canned Heat , The Grass Roots , Rejoice, and Fraternity of Man. After the show, Al Schmidt continued in non rock 'n' roll business until he died at 83 in

2387-429: The Animals, Blue Cheer, Iron Butterfly, Illinois Speed Press and Things to Come. But admission to the festival was $ 5.50 per day – to sit in heat and dust. Most considered it another in the series of pop music shucks. The Newport Pop Festival – which wasn't even held in Newport, but in Costa Mesa – was produced by Humble Harvey Miller, one of L.A.'s Top-40 DJs, and Wesco Associates, basically the same coalition that staged

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2464-506: The M.G.'s , The Chambers Brothers , The Flock , The Grass Roots , Johnny Winter , Mother Earth , Jimi Hendrix jam with Buddy Miles , Eric Burdon and Mother Earth , Poco , The Byrds , The Rascals and Three Dog Night . Marvin Gaye 's appearance was cancelled because he missed his plane. Hundreds of people were injured in rioting outside Newport ’69. Due to $ 50,000 in damages done to neighborhood homes and businesses, an investigation

2541-489: The Newport crowd, but on July 25, 1965, festival headliner Dylan was booed by some fans when he played with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band as his backing band. It is usually said that the reason for the hostile reception by a small number of fans was Dylan's "abandoning" of the folk orthodoxy, or poor sound quality on the night (or a combination of the two). The controversy regarding the reaction of

2618-453: The Newport stage, advocating for women's rights, the LGBTQ community, peace, climate awareness, clean air and water, and the continued call for civil rights activism. In 1988, Ben & Jerry joined forces with Wein's Festival Productions, Inc. to sponsor the event through 1999, a partnership that helped the festival thrive and reinforced its progressive identity. In 1962, two young members of

2695-402: The Orange County Fairgrounds in an outdoor pavilion. The fairgrounds are on Newport Boulevard, just a short distance from Newport Beach (hence the name). The 1968 event's advance ticket sales were triple of what was expected, and it became evident that no area inside the fairgrounds could hold even 25,000 people, let alone the near 100,000 now predicted. In the last three days before the show, it

2772-633: The Wind ". Amidst a "deafening roar of applause" they brought to the stage Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Theo Bikel and the Freedom Singers. The singers stood in a single line facing the audience with crossed arms and clasped hands and began to sing a variation on the Baptist hymn "I'll Overcome Some Day". The hymn's new incarnation - " We Shall Overcome " - had become an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement. In 1928, Mississippi John Hurt ,

2849-1033: The appearance of the top-billed Jimi Hendrix Experience . Mark Robinson reportedly spent around $ 600,000 for the festival, grossed over $ 750,000, but because of the violence, he claimed to have lost $ 150,000. The venue, Devonshire Downs , formerly a racetrack and multi-purpose event and entertainment facility, is now part of the North Campus of California State University at Northridge . Friday, June 20, 1969 Ike & Tina Turner , Albert King , Edwin Hawkins Singers , The Jimi Hendrix Experience , Joe Cocker , Southwind , Spirit , Don Ellis Orchestra , Taj Mahal , and Jerry Lauderdale. Saturday, June 21, 1969 Albert Collins , Brenton Wood , Buffy Sainte-Marie , Charity, Creedence Clearwater Revival , Eric Burdon and War , Friends of Distinction , Jethro Tull , Lee Michaels , Love , Steppenwolf and Sweetwater . Sunday, June 22, 1969 Booker T. &

2926-495: The attendees turned around and watched them, as the Lloyd music was not in a popular style. Sunday, August 4, 1968 Eric Burdon & the Animals , Grateful Dead , Jefferson Airplane , Quicksilver Messenger Service , Country Joe & the Fish , The Byrds , Things to Come. Bands that were rumored to have performed at the festival, but didn't Lovin' Spoonful , Rhinoceros , Sky Pilot and The Turtles were not listed on

3003-510: The audience at this event is often overplayed, as it was not the general reaction of the audience, but rather that of a small number of folk "purists", including Pete Seeger . The reaction of "the crowd" to Dylan's performance, certainly from eyewitness accounts, was generally quite enthusiastic. This performance, Dylan's first live "plugged-in" set of his professional career, marked the shift in his artistic direction from folk to rock, and had wider implications for both genres. The performance marked

3080-423: The center of American music, with surprise sets by Dolly Parton and Joni Mitchell among other standout performances. In 2011 the two day festival sold out Saturday and in 2012 the festival sold out both days. In 2013 the festival expanded to three days and sold out both Saturday and Sunday. In 2014 the festival sold out all three days months in advance. The festival has sold out every year since. In commemoration of

3157-550: The crowd included Tiny Tim , Jefferson Airplane , Country Joe McDonald , The Chambers Brothers , and Steppenwolf . Mark Robinson went on to promote a similar "Newport 69" show with Jimi Hendrix and later became an attorney, practicing law with Melvin Belli . Al and Gary teamed up with Bill Quarry, Alfie Zaner and Rich Romello and produced the San Francisco International Pop Festival at

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3234-576: The deep traditions inherent in Jazz and Folk music. By 2006, after an autoimmune syndrome left Jones partially paralyzed, he was no longer able to produce the festival. In 2008, Executive Producer, George Wein hired Jay Sweet as an associate of the festival. Sweet brought the Black Crowes and Trey Anastasio, frontman of Phish, as headliners and other artists on the bill included Stephen Marley and Damian Marley, sons of reggae icon Bob Marley. The Festival

3311-572: The event. Narrated by Joan Armatrading, with segment narrators Rosanne Cash, Michael Doucet, Steve Earle, Angelique Kidjo, Pokey LaFarge, Tom Morello, Mavis Staples, and Lucinda Williams. In 2003, Da Capo Press published Myself Among Others: A Life in Music , a memoir by George Wein and coauthor Nate Chinen. In 2017, Wesleyan University Press published I Got A Song, A History of the Newport Folk Festival by Rick Massimo. The Newport Folk Festival has existed in various forms since its creation; founded as

3388-582: The fairgrounds, and was paid a fee and received some promotional billing. Robinson had been involved with Bob Blodget in staging a much smaller but similar weekend festival in 1967 in Los Angeles. There never was a second edition of this event and its prominence faded from memory until, on August 4, 2008, Jeff Overley penned a feature article for the Orange County Register that commemorated the event's 40th anniversary. The big hits with

3465-676: The festival "rolls out" their lineup over the course of the year instead of releasing a lineup poster on one day. The festival has also developed a reputation for programming surprise, unannounced artists. Past instances include the 65 Revisited program (2015), in which Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, Dawes, and Willie Watson appeared unannounced. Other surprise moments include My Morning Jacket (2015), James Taylor (2015), Kris Kristofferson (2016), Roger Waters (2017), Mumford & Sons (2018), Dolly Parton (2019), Paul Simon (2022), and Joni Mitchell (2022). Like 65 Revisited in 2015, 2018's A Change Is Gonna Come closing set paired guests from

3542-484: The festival. Cash had recently become aware of Kris Kristofferson , a young, relatively unknown country singer-songwriter, and convinced George Wein to allow Kristofferson to join him onstage. Kristofferson's performance of "Me and Bobby McGee" and other songs gave him a launch into his musical career. The 1969 festival also included the debut festival performance of James Taylor , who performed " Carolina in My Mind " to

3619-606: The first and probably the last Newport Pop Festival in California's Orange County Aug. 3-4, viewing, among others, Tiny Tim, Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe and the Fish, Grateful Dead, Chambers Brothers, Charles Lloyd, James Cotton Blues Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and the Byrds. Although not listed, Eric Burden introduced a local Long Beach, CA band WAR. The festival was regarded musically successful but on other fronts rather less than pleasing. The performers appeared on

3696-418: The first day. Water was provided throughout the event by garden hoses from inside the fairgrounds, but attendees had to provide their own containers and give up their viewing spot to reach the water. A broken water supply pipe provided a mud bath that a number of people jumped in, but people realized that the sun would bake the mud into a hard cover, so they stopped. There were plenty of porta-potties available at

3773-406: The first place. But Harry Smith, a member of a tiny subculture of obsessive, cranky collectors, put two John Hurt cuts on his influential 1952 Anthology of American Folk Music, prompting many blues hobbyists to begin searching for him. In 1963, Tom Hoskins and Mike Stewart acquired a tape of Hurt's Avalon Blues through their informal network of tape traders. Hurt had recorded Avalon Blues at the end of

3850-481: The first time Dylan performed "Like a Rolling Stone" in public. Despite the musical transition, Dylan's growing status within the larger counterculture ensured that his place in the expanding movement would remain secure. Dylan did not return to Newport until 2002, when he played a headlining performance while wearing a wig and fake beard. In 1969, the Johnny Cash troupe was to perform on opening night of

3927-474: The folk community made it clear to Wein that an afternoon program at the Jazz Festival would not suffice and that there was demand for a full folk festival. Aware of his own limitations in the folk scene, Wein asked Albert Grossman , then Odetta's manager, to join him in planning and producing the festival. Grossman accepted and began working with Wein to book talent and organize the weekend. Pete Seeger

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4004-463: The folk festival was dormant for over a decade. In 1981 Wein returned to Newport with his Jazz Festival at a new waterfront site: Fort Adams State Park. Robert L. Jones, Wein's longtime producer, ran the shows. Jones worked for Wein as both a road manager and producer of jazz and blues events. But his life in music began in Boston folk clubs with artists such as Joan Baez, Tom Rush, Eric von Schmidt, and Bob Dylan, and he first came to Wein's attention as

4081-589: The highly successful blues and gospel shows" that had taken place at the Jazz Festival in previous years. Wein asked Odetta, Pete Seeger , and the Weavers to perform on the afternoon in addition to the Kingston Trio . Some in the jazz community accused Wein of crass commercialism in booking these groups because they deviated from, and had a larger following than, most jazz musicians of the time. This pressure coupled with his various conversations with those in

4158-542: The late 1990s. Gary Schmidt entered the nightclub business and continued to promote smaller events throughout Northern California , including two more festivals with attendance in the 25,000–30,000 range: The Labor Day Weekend Music and Arts Festival in Carson City, Nevada in 1972 and Super Sun Bust Summer of 1973 at the Eugene Speedway (Oregon). For some of these productions, Schmidt teamed up with Bill Quarry,

4235-496: The money and licensing. There was a brief lawsuit between the two Schmidts and Robinson just prior to the "Newport 69" show, which the Schmidts had declined to be involved in because of the cost of the acts. Robinson reportedly spent $ 282,000 for the acts. The entire band budget for the '68 show was under $ 50,000, while Robinson paid Jimi Hendrix alone $ 100,000 for the '69 event. This was an amount of money unheard of at that time for

4312-545: The official poster for the event. There is published evidence indicating these bands may have played at the festival, but it was produced by people who never attended the festival and is 100% false. The 1969 festival was intended to be the successor to the Orange County event, hoping to capitalize on the brand name and market momentum generated in 1968. A move of venue was necessary because the 1968 event had fallen in disfavor with local community leaders. Three days after

4389-516: The persuasion of Albert Grossman, who was managing Peter, Paul and Mary, Wein decided to allow Bob Dylan (whom Grossman was also managing) to close the night. After Peter, Paul and Mary finished their afternoon set, Wein announced that they would reappear at the end of the evening. Dylan performed a set consisting of particularly topical songs: "With God on Our Side", "Talkin' John Birch Society Blues", and "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall". Peter, Paul and Mary then returned and performed an encore of " Blowin' in

4466-510: The problems rock festival promoters would face in the future. Harvey "Humble Harve" Miller, a Top 40 disc jockey for 93 KHJ-AM in Los Angeles , was hired to promote the show and hosted the event with Wavy Gravy . Wesco Productions (West Coast Productions) consisted of Mark Robinson, Gary Schmidt and Al Schmidt, though Humble Harv was used in advertising for promotional purposes. Tom Neito of Scenic Sounds Productions also assisted in securing

4543-485: The rear of the hastily assembled "grounds." There was no shade in the primary viewing area, and partiers were sunburned. The weather was a typical August day in sunny Southern California. Those without hotel reservations had no place to stay. However, city officials alleviated some of the problems by designating a 32-acre (130,000 m) area of the fairgrounds as an emergency campsite. They also brought in portable toilets and water tanks. This particular event launched some of

4620-581: The second night Joan Baez joined SNCC activists and roughly 600 festival-goers on a march through Newport. The crowd walked past the Bellevue Avenue mansions and into Touro Park, where SNCC's executive secretary James Forman and Freedom Singers leader Cordell Reagon delivered speeches, rallying support for the March on Washington scheduled for the following March. For the final performance on Friday Wein had scheduled Peter, Paul and Mary . But under

4697-509: The set. Dylan and his band (including Larry Campbell and Charlie Sexton) launched into “Roving Gambler” then played a series of classics alongside his newer material: a set markedly in keeping with the rest of his tour. Peter Stone Brown wrote, “The guy underneath the hat may have looked a little strange, but in the end it was the music that mattered and just maybe that’s what he’s been trying to say all along.” In 2005, alternative rock band The Pixies came to Newport with an acoustic performance,

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4774-450: The state was working with the Newport Festivals Foundation to hold the folk and jazz festivals in the summer with modified capacities and a different format. Instead of its typical format, the 2021 Newport Folk Festival was instead formatted as two three-day events in July featuring performances, storytelling and workshops. The 2022 festival marked a return to normal operations. A highlight

4851-767: The sun on your skin and the breeze in your hair. It's magical here... It's just magical." ( SPIN at Newport Folk 2010 ) Brandi Carlile says "It's one of my favorites so far if not my favorite." ( Brandi Carlile Interview ) WMVY began streaming the festival in 2005 and was joined by NPR Music in 2008. WMVY's Archives contains both performances and interviews from Newport Folk and NPR music has recorded sets available for listening here: NPR at Newport Folk 2010 . The festival has made efforts in being green-friendly, teaming with many groups to do so. It partnered with Clean Water Action and Rhode Island Resource Recovery to collect 1.5 tons of recyclables. CWA worked onsite picking up trash and recycling, and set up composting stations to curb

4928-656: The time a Stanford student, promoted a few more concerts and then finished law school. He is now a nationally renowned and accredited attorney, practicing law throughout the United States while keeping a home office in Orange County. The 1968 event attracted much media attention at the time. Rolling Stone Magazine published an article on the event in its September 14, 1968 edition, writing: Newport Pop Festival Drags on in Dust and Heat: Dead, Country Joe, Crosby, pie fight weekend's highlights An estimated 140,000 attended

5005-422: The waste generated during the event. A portion of beer and wine sales went to CWA to support its work. The official beer of the festival, Vermont-based Magic Hat used plant-based, 100% compostable cups. The festival also partnered with CLIF Bar, who set up a bike valet to encourage people to cycle to the event and participate in its two-mile challenge. It worked with New England Wind Fund to offset power used during

5082-581: The weekend with unannounced guests including Leon Bridges , Chris Thile , and Mavis Staples . The Newport Folk Festival takes place every year at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island. Fort Adams houses five stages, the Fort Stage which sits looking out at Newport harbor and the famous Claiborne Pell Bridge , the Harbor Stage, The Quad Stage, The Bike Stage (powered by people riding stationary bikes) and The Foundation Stage. The festival

5159-433: Was also involved with the founding of the festival. Theodore Bikel and Oscar Brand were also founders of the festival. The inaugural festival, held at Freebody Park, included Pete Seeger, Earl Scruggs , the Kingston Trio, John Jacob Niles, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Odetta, The New Lost City Ramblers , and more. Perhaps the most notable performance was the surprise debut of the eighteen-year-old Joan Baez , who

5236-400: Was brought on as a guest of Bob Gibson . The festival returned in 1960 and was expanded to include three nights. The lineup placed an emphasis on music diversity, booking performers from Africa, Scotland, Spain, Israel, and Ireland alongside "traditional" folk musicians such as Pete Seeger, Ewan McColl , John Lee Hooker , Cisco Houston , and Tommy Makem . The Newport Folk Festival has

5313-440: Was generated by the participating musicians themselves who, in later interviews, often mixed up the two events. The latter event was organized by Mark Robinson (age 25), who was one of the three promoters of the original Newport Pop Festival in 1968. The other two promoters of the '68 event were Gary R. Schmidt (age 26) and his father Al Schmidt. Al was not a rock 'n' roller, but rather an entrepreneurial businessman who helped with

5390-472: Was held over the three-day weekend of June 20–22, 1969 in Northridge, California , at Devonshire Downs . In published writings over the last 40 years, this latter event has been referred to as the "Newport 69 Pop Festival," the "Newport Pop Festival 1969" or simply the "Newport Pop Festival." Subsequently, much confusion has been created over the years between the 1968 and 1969 events. Some of this confusion

5467-433: Was late and Orange County officials were threatening to shut off the electricity when the band went on, finally relenting to give the band time for two songs. As they began their first, "1, 2, 3, 4, What Are We Fighting For," the approximately 40,000 young people still on hand rose as if one, cheering, hands held aloft in the "peace sign." During the second number, a long blues, even the cops on stage were grinning and adlibbing

5544-478: Was launched by the Los Angeles police commission. Gatecrashers trespassed the hurricane fencing instead of paying the admission cost ($ 6 a day in advance, $ 7 at the gate, $ 15 in advance for the three days). Outside the festival, teenagers threw bottles and rocks, and damaged property. Some of the kids were as young as 14 getting injured. In total an estimated 300 were injured, 15 of them were police officials and about 75 were arrested. Traffic to and from Devonshire Downs

5621-460: Was moved to one of the adjoining parking lots of the fairgrounds. Fencing, staging, sanitation, and food concessions had to be organized within just three days. Fencing in some areas consisted of wire blankets and/or tarps thrown over as a visual block. People without tickets on the outside would "storm the fence" and got in for free. None of the commercial concessionaires were prepared for the event, and they all ran out of food and drink halfway through

5698-514: Was nearly impassible and parking was limited, so thousands parked in residential neighborhoods. People traveling to the concert on Sunday found no public restrooms open to the public in the area due to trashing done in the previous 2 days. One of the biggest Pop festivals to date turned into a disaster due to crime and misconduct. 37°54′45″N 122°36′30″W  /  37.91258°N 122.60844°W  / 37.91258; -122.60844 Newport Folk Festival The Newport Folk Festival

5775-403: Was one of the first festivals to serve as a platform for climate change protest. In the 1990s, playing on Victory Day (originally Victory over Japan Day or V-J Day) folk musician Michelle Shocked asked the entire standing audience to drop to the ground on cue to show what it would look like when crowds died on "Hiroshima Day." This was relevant to the locale of the festival as Rhode Island

5852-430: Was well attended and received favorable press, despite folk purists questioning the modernization of the festival. In 2009, Wein asked Jones and his team to work with Sweet for the 50th anniversary of the festival, and their collaboration resulted in a multi-generational celebration. The success of the 2009 festival marked a new era in the festival's history. Under Sweet's direction, the festival has reclaimed its place at

5929-410: Was when Brandi Carlile introduced a surprise appearance by Joni Mitchell as the festival's closing act. This was the 78 year old Mitchell's first full-length public performance since the early 2000s and her first appearance at the festival since 1969. In recent years, the Newport Folk Festival has developed a reputation for selling out of tickets before announcing the lineup. Unlike most festivals,

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