2023 Newport Folk Festival Day One: Magnetic Maggie Rogers, No Noah Kahan and Just-In Time James Taylor

Friday’s lineup for the 2023 Newport Folk Festival. Photo by Kaitlyn Murray

For anyone who didn’t get outside on Friday, I need you to know that it was hot. As in the ‘no-a-beetle-didn’t-crawl-down-the-back-of-your-shirt-that’s-actually-a-rolling-bead-of-sweat’ type of hot. The ‘makes-you-glad-to-be-sequestered-in-your-air-conditioned-office-on-a-summer-afternoon’ kind of hot. Only for the promise of sweet live music would I endure such sweltering temps. 

But to no surprise, I certainly wasn’t the only one. Thousands stood in sweaty solidarity for miles leading up to the entrance at Fort Adams on July 28th. My first queue of the day was at Will Call, where behind me I overheard a head hunter from Nashville and someone from Maggie Rogers’ team strike up a conversation. They both agreed the Newport Folk Fest is a dream trip.

With ticket and media pass in hand, I next hopped into the general pop line. I was there for about an hour, but fortunately the excited chatter around me made the time pass by quicker (though one poor soul did succumb to the heat despite the festival official’s multiple reminders to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate — luckily the med team were quick to their aid and they seemed in better condition by the time they were evac-ed). The main topic discussion: who will this weekend’s surprise guests be? With past acts consisting of Dolly Parton and Joni Mitchell, expectations were high. 

“I love when the lineup says, “And friends.’ LOVE it.”

“It’s definitely Brandi Carlisle again — her schedule is open.”

“So is Bruce Springsteen’s.”

“It would make sense if Neil Young showed up because David Crosby just passed.”

I wasn’t too convinced by the logic of that last one, but the debate had me pumped for the possibilities. My expectations were somewhat tempered though by the fact that the only “and friends” moniker on the lineup was attached to Jon Batiste, who was scheduled for Saturday night. Still, you never know at the Folk Festival. 

Once I’ve finally made it inside the fort, I make a beeline for the main (a.k.a. the Fort) stage area. Having gotten in well after the initial start time, almost every square inch of grass is taken up by chairs, blankets, pop up tents and strollers. I manage to snag an open patch in the very back by the water, quickly realizing the reason it is available is because the view of the stage is almost entirely blocked by a vendor tent. But it didn’t matter — my beach chair was merely meant to serve as a home base between acts. Plus, it afforded me prime access to the soothing ocean breeze. 

A steady chant leads me back to the front, where there is still ample room in the standing section. I deftly slipped into the middle of the crowd for a good look at the Eastern Medicine Singers, an Algonquin Drum Group from Woonsocket and Providence, as they beat out a rhythm that fed directly into my soul. Despite being new to their music, it wasn’t long before I joined in the sea of perfectly timed head bobbing and foot stomping. 

The Eastern Medicine Singers on the Fort stage at the 2023 Newport Folk Fest. Photo by Kaitlyn Murray

Afterwards I decided to explore a bit, and eventually wandered over towards the Harbor stage where I swayed along for a bit to the soothing voice of Bella White. Though this area had a more intimate setup, it was jam-packed with fans of the Canadian songwriter and it felt wrong to interrupt any of their sight lines with my phone-attached arm outstretched, so this was the best I could do. 

Bella White on the Harbor Stage at the 2023 Newport Folk Fest.

My water bottle nearing emptiness (hydrate was the word of the day), I stopped quickly at the free filling station nearby before entering the tunnel that would bring me to the Quad stage. Here, the camped-out festival goers were a bit more spread out, making it easier to navigate and walk up to the various vendors while listening to Mdou Moctar. I stumbled upon the bright teal Twenty Stories van and spent more time than probably necessary perusing its inventory. My friends later joked that only I would go to a music festival and leave with a new book. 

Realizing the time, I quickly weaved back through the masses and got back to the Fort stage in record time. Pro tip: if you make it to the standing section early enough to stake a claim at the barrier just before the stage, the overhead setup actually blocks the sun a bit and creates a small strip of shade (depending on the time of day). I couldn’t have asked for a better spot to see one of my most anticipated artists of the day: Del Water Gap. Frontman Holden Jaffe’s energy was palpable from the start, revealing he had been dreaming of playing the Newport Folk Festival since he was a little boy with internet access. He not only ramped up the crowd with fan favorites but also debuted “Coping on Unemployment” a single which had just been released the day prior, and “All We Ever Do is Talk,” an upbeat jam he had never performed live before. 

Voice hoarse and energy waning due to aggressive shimmying and vibing, it was time for food. I had scouted the offerings earlier on and took note that both the Dels and Ja Patty trucks were close to where I had parked my chair. Once I’d secured my medium lemon and jerk chicken (hey, don’t knock the pairing till you’ve tried it), I settled in for the next hour with my new book and the comforting, true-folk melodies of CAAMP drifting through the air.

Not that I missed out on seeing the iconic band performa all together. Towards the end of their set, I sidled on up to the edge of the standing spectators and rocked out to the last couple of songs with the rest. But to be transparent, my true intentions were to secure a good spot for the next act. As the CAAMP crowd filed out in search of food and relief from the sun, I wiggled my way deeper towards the front. And it paid off: I earned prime viewing for one of my favorite artists, the one and only Maggie Rogers. 

I was first introduced to the Maryland-born singer-songwriter at my first Folk Fest attendance back in 2019 and instantly became a lifelong fan. No one’s voice has inspired full body chills like hers, and this set was no different as she flawlessly out ballads like “Begging for Rain” and more mainstream hits like “Light On.” But this time she did have a few surprises in store. The first was a gorgeous collab with the sister-violinist duo Sista Strings (who had their own turn on the Foundation stage earlier in the afternoon) that they claimed to have conjured up together backstage that same day. The second was a brand new heart wrenching song from an upcoming record titled “Don’t Forget Me,” and the third was a performance with Del Water Gap. As it turns out, Rogers and Jaffe had been in a band together called, well, Del Water Gap, when they were eighteen (“I couldn’t think of another name,” Jaffe joked, and Rogers followed with, “Apparently neither could I!”). They made my whole night when they performed “New Song,” an ironically old song from when they played together and a song that i only recently discovered and fell in love with on Spotify. 

Now, I have to admit, I was actually pretty stressed during this time. You see, my other most-anticipated artist of the day, Noah Kahan, was originally scheduled to start performing on the Quad stage (which, if you’ll remember, is on the opposite side of the Fort) fifteen minutes before Rogers was scheduled to finish. After much debate, I had made the decision that I would cut out about halfway through to try and get a decent spot for Kahan — a decision only made easier by the fact that I had seen Rogers before while this would be my first time seeing Kahan, and with his recent endorsement from Post Malone, it might be my only chance. But then, just as I was mentally preparing myself to fight my way through the crowd, a murmur rose through the crowd. 

“Noah Kahan canceled.”

I audibly gasped. Sure enough, when I looked down at my phone, the Newport Folk Fest app had sent out a push notification announcing that the show could not go on due to vocal exhaustion. Not even the app’s tease of a “legendary” replacement could pacify my devastation — spoiler alert: apparently missing Dolly Parton in 2019 wasn’t lesson enough for me. The fact that I could enjoy Rogers’ set in its entirety, though, did help some. I committed to fully taking in the final songs, but then, another murmur. 

“It’s freakin’ James Taylor.”

Welp, I needed to book it to the Quad stage after all.  

By the time I got there, Taylor’s familiar croon was already midway through a song, and there was no way I was going to be able to get more than a glimpse through the throng of bodies already filling up the space. But I did get to sing along to “Fire and Rain” and “Sweet Baby James” (two tunes from the soundtrack of my childhood road trips), hear Taylor recount stories about encounters with everyone from the Beatles (the band) to pet pigs (the animal), and take comfort in the fact that Taylor and I (probably?) breathed the same air. My dad was going to lose his mind. 

Feet aching, it was time to head out if I wanted any chance of making it out of the parking lot at a decent hour. My Morning Jacket beautifully set the scene of my departure as the sun began to descend behind me. Until next time, Folk Fest. 

Note: Stay tuned for Day Two and Three coverage from my Rhode Island Monthly colleagues!