Bleachers and Weyes Blood at Newport Folk Festival, photo by Dean Budnick

Yesterday, July 25, Newport Folk Festival returned to its longtime home of Newport, R.I.’s Fort Adams State Park. 66 years after its earth-shaking debut, the musical institution showcased its commitment to elevating exceptional artists and enshrining cultural heritage with a roster of stars from the worlds of folk, roots, alt-rock, jam and Americana’s full extended family. Kim Deal, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Goose and Jack Antonoff + Bleachers led the lineup for day one, capping off a packed day of music, community and a heaping helping of onstage surprises.

Friday’s bill commenced with eclectic midday sets from funk and fusion ensemble Snacktime, storied psychedelic folk journeyman Robert Lester Folsom and NOLA bounce queen Big Freedia. After Geese frontman Cameron Winter presented a solo piano performance of songs from Heavy Metal through a pedal-powered soundsystem on the intimate Bike Stage, beloved folk-rock singer-songwriters and Newport All-Star Game captains Kevin Morby and S.G. Goodman went head to head on the Harbor and Fort Stages. Goodman conjured immersive and haunting recreations of Southern gothic hymns like “Fire Sign” and “Satellite” from her triumphant third studio album Planting by the Signs, while Morby stretched back in his 12-year solo discography for old favorites like “Harlem River” and welcomed pinch-hitter sit-ins from his partner Waxahatchee on “Bittersweet, TN,” followed by his softball teammate and Newport Folk Stweardship Program appointee Nathaniel Rateliff for “Beautiful Strangers.” Meanwhile, on the Quad Stage, Alex G presented his second live staging of “June Guitar,” the lead single from his forthcoming 10th studio album Headlights.

Following further performances from Maggie Rose, Geese and Kenny Loggins, who made his way halfway through a list of classics like “Footloose” and his first treatment of “Whenever I Call You ‘Friend’” since 2023, sudden severe thunderstorms forced the festival to pause for an hour while attendees sheltered in place. By 5 p.m., the music returned with an abbreviated set from MJ Lenderman, whose tried and true backing band The Wind bolstered raw and hard-hitting renditions of Manning Fireworks standouts like “Rudolph,” “Joker Lips,” “Wristwatch” and “She’s Leaving You,” which featured an exhilarating surprise sit-in from Goodman that brought the formerly seated crowd to rush the stage. Jessica Pratt’s set on the Harbor Stage was the only performance cancelled due to the interruption.

As the skies cleared over the park, Goose took the Fort Stage for their first show since their headline debut at Madison Square Garden. The rapidly rising indie groove quartet introduced themselves to Newport Folk Festival with the high-spirited four-year setlist staple “Rockdale,” then launched into the evening’s jam centerpiece with the Dripfield improvisational epic “Hungersite.” The group’s lone inclusion from their recent fourth studio album Everything Must Go was “Give It Time,” which built patiently from its soft and introspective foundations to a soaring, festival-ready peak. Finally, to close out their weather-shortened set, the band let loose its 20th cover of Loggins’ “Danger Zone” to date, featuring lead vocals from the pop-rock superstar himself. While their 2023 sit-in from The Muppets’ Animal was hard to top, Goose somehow manage to continuously raise the bar.

Alt-rock royalty Kim Deal closed out the Harbor Stage with a mix of selections from her shapeshifting 2024 solo debut Nobody Loves You More and The Breeders hits like “Cannonball,” then Yeah Yeah Yeahs brought their “Hidden in Pieces” tour to the Quad Stage, featuring string-backed acoustic reworkings of their expansive dance-punk catalog and covers of David Lynch and Bjork. To conclude Friday’s festivities, Jack Antonoff took the Fort Stage with Bleachers for a special Newport edition of their annual Ally Coalition Talent Show. In the tradition of the typically NYC-based event and Newport’s annual supergroup sets, Bleachers’ performance mixed a few originals—including opener “91” and an acoustic “I Wanna Get Better”—with a litany of special guests.

Several of those were high-billed artists from the weekend: Waxahatchee led a cover of “You Got It,” then joined a backing chorus as Dan Reeder appeared for a treatment of his own “Maybe”; Maren Morris supported Bleachers’ “Don’t Go Dark”; Jeff Tweedy stepped into the spotlight for vocal duties on Lana Del Ray’s (Antonoff-produced) “Margaret” and Wilco’s “Kamera.” Weyes Blood, Rufus Wainwright and Hayley Williams trekked to Fort Adams State Park just for their contributions to the set: Weyes Blood crooned over the jazz standard “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” Williams joined a cover of Modern English’s “I Melt With You” and debuted the new original “Mirtazapine,” and Wainwright complemented Bleachers’ “45” and brought Bob Dylan back to Newport with a cover of “Not Dark Yet.”

Newport Folk Festival returns today with performances from Luke Combs, Public Enemy, I’m With Her, Waxahatchee and more. Get an inside look at Friday’s shows in the gallery below, courtesy of photographer Dean Budnick.