Blog Archives
Six Days of Unfettered Joy
While I’m not sure I have fully processed the six days that was Newport Folk Presents Folk On, I do know that the joy that I and every one of the 6,000 or so attendees felt was palpable and immeasurable.
This was not the Newport Folk Festival as we know it, which is why the name was changed for this year. What was the same was the vibe – although the vibe may have been even more intensely joyous than in the past because of the pandemic.
Read the rest of this entryNewport Folk Festival Continues To Amaze Me
How does the Newport Folk Festival get better each year?
Newport Folk Festival
My Top Ten Shows From a Stellar Music Year
I ‘only’ saw 172 shows last year, which is the lowest number since 2013 (it was late in 2013 that I started this website). Nevertheless, it still made choosing my top ten shows difficult.
As always, I do not include sets from festivals because the energy at a festival adds so much to an artist’s performance that it is unfair to compare festival sets to ‘regular’ shows. This year, however, I make mention of some sets at festivals that were especially fabulous.
An Evening of Guitar Magic
While I have seen Jason Isbell perform a number of times over the past four years, I had not seen him with the 400 Unit since the band swept the 2014 Americana Music Association top awards with the album Southeastern nor since they won the best album and song awards at this year’s AMA.
Jason Isbell
I love the latest album, Something More Than Free, so I knew I was in for a treat at his recent show at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.
This Week Started With An Amazing Announcement by Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival continues its lineup announcements and the week started with a fantastic announcement!
Newport Folk Festival Trademarked Logo
Much Talent On The Stage This Night
I went to this show at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion as much to see Ray LaMontagne as I did to see one of the openers, Jason Isbell.
Ray LaMontagne
Jason Isbell
I will say up front that this is one of my least favorite venues in the Boston area – the sound is inconsistent, the stage is high, and the view (and sound) is best from the center of the center section in rows 6 through about 16. In addition, for this show photographers were relegated to the far right of the venue, 15 rows back (I apologize for the less-than-usual quality of my photos – I now know I need a monopod). Read the rest of this entry
suze reviews the blues 