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Boston Globe
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
At Newport Folk Fest's final day, joyful defiance and an all-star jambore
With an ace house band led by Bonny Light Horseman's Josh Kaufman, a parade of the weekend's headliners and a few surprise guests tackled classic songs of unity and perseverance. Advertisement Maren Morris and Lukas Nelson played the parts of Janis Joplin and Kris Kristofferson, respectively, on a rousing cover of 'Me and Bobby McGee.' Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff sang Tracy Chapman's 'Talkin' Bout a Revolution.' Mavis Staples – 'the mother of Newport,' as Reilly called her – joined Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy on the stirring tune 'Friendship.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The reunited duo of the Swell Season, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, performed Van Morrison's 'Into the Mystic' with some help from the punchy horns of the Philadelphia funk group SNACKTIME. Newport perennial Nathaniel Rateliff knocked Leonard Cohen's well-traveled 'Hallelujah' out of Fort Adams State Park and over the Narragansett Bay. And the fast-rising folk songwriter Jesse Welles confirmed his status as a new darling of the festival by smashing his guitar to punctuate the Beatles's 'Revolution.' Advertisement Most of these 'seashells' had subtle – or not-so-subtle – messages of resistance, or making 'this land a better land/Than the world in which we live,' as the late New Orleans songwriter Allen Toussaint wrote on 'Yes We Can Can,' presented on Sunday by Trombone Shorty. (In another surprise, the National's Matt Berninger contributed a somber reading of the Flaming Lips's 'Waitin' for a Superman.') Matt Berninger, of The National, performs a surprise set at the Bike Stage on the third and final day of the Newport Folk Festival. Heather Diehl/For The Boston Globe But perhaps the most moving moment of the finale came when Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, the Berklee-trained co-founders of the band Lucius, put a pristine spin on the Beach Boys's 'God Only Knows.' Reilly, who was full of jokes and good cheer, tried to get the audience to sit down for that song, in a show of gratitude and reverence for the recently departed Brian Wilson. When the packed throng balked, he laughed: 'Hey, it's a free country, for now.' Throughout the day, showcase acts see-sawed from anguish about the state of the world to joyful defiance. Before noon on the Quad Stage inside the old fort's stone walls, the South African group BCUC fed the early birds with their heavily percussive psychedelic sound. Frontman Nkosi 'Jovi' Zithulele called for a moment of silence 'in the name of your loved ones' and brought the band's exuberant set home by jumping on the back of the cowbell player. On the Fort Stage overlooking the harbor, the veteran songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter noted that this was the 30th anniversary of her Newport debut. 'It feels emotional,' she said. 'The passage of time. The people who are here, and the people who are not.' Advertisement Midday sets by the Indiana late bloomer Stephen Wilson Jr., the British songwriter Tom Odell, and the Chicago indie band Dehd (whose cockeyed boy-girl vocals gave off a Pixies-ish vibe) were all well-received. Mitch Cutts, leader of the Seattle-area folk-rock band Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners, spoke for several of his peers when he gushed about playing Newport for the first time: 'I could yap about it all day.' Hansard introduced the Swell Season's Cohen-esque new song 'Great Weight' as a glimpse toward an 'imaginary future date,' when a great weight has lifted. The most satisfying set of the day may have been Margo Price's. The Nashville singer and her new band, featuring guitarist Sean Thompson, played classic honky tonk with finesse. They opened with Price's own wistful origin story 'Hands of Time' before stomping through 'Tennessee Song,' and then lamenting the failures of the American Dream on 'All American Made.' Reilly joined Price and her husband, Jeremy Ivey, around an old-fashioned condenser microphone for a roaring take on Bob Dylan's 'Maggie's Farm.' The set wrapped with Price's new single, 'Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down,' inspired by Kristofferson. Mt. Joy performs at the Fort Stage on Sunday at the Newport Folk Festival. Heather Diehl/For The Boston Globe The timeless cosmic Americana of the Grateful Dead provided one of the day's recurring themes. After instantly grabbing the audience with one of their newest songs ('Pink Lady') and their oldest ('Astrovan'), the spirited Philly band Mt. Joy played a rocking version of the Dead's take on the traditional 'I Know You Rider.' Jeff Tweedy prefaced his upcoming solo album, 'Twilight Override,' with a crystalline set on the Quad Stage that owed more than a little debt to the Dead. Later, during the 'Songs for the People' closing set, Goose's Nick Mitarotonda stepped into Jerry Garcia's boots on the Dead's 'Eyes of the World.' Advertisement 'Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world,' as those lyrics, sung by a chorus that featured Sarah Jarosz and Bonny Light Horseman's Eric D. Johnson, went. 'Kindness is not a luxury,' Reilly said by way of introduction to that song. For those who return every year to Newport – and there are many – the festival creates a vibe, he said, 'that you have to bring to the world. 'Be the world you want to see,' he added. NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL At Fort Adams State Park, Newport, R.I., Sunday The crowd is energetic for Mt. Joy's set at the Fort Stage. Heather Diehl/For The Boston Globe
Irish Examiner
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Neil Young review: Canadian star and Van Morrison turn back the years in Malahide, Dublin
Van Morrison, Neil Young, Malahide Castle, Dublin ★★★★☆ The electric guitar is alive and well. Neil Young, who is back touring in Europe for the first time in six years with his new backing band, Chrome Hearts, jabbed manically on Old Black, his trusty guitar, to glorious effect at the castle gardens in Malahide on Thursday night. Before the Canadian star took to the stage, we were treated to a set from Van Morrison, as part of possibly the best double-bill you'll see this year. Both singers turn 80 in 2025, although they're acting like men half their age. The Belfast Cowboy hit the ground running with a heart-lifting rendition of Into the Mystic to open his set. Looking debonair in a blue suit and trilby hat, and clutching his gold mic like a weapon, his voice is as strong as ever. He was in an ebullient mood, even chuckling (yes, sir) as he ebbed and flowed his way through classics from his canon, including Bright Side of the Road and Wild Night. Van Morrison on stage at Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin. Picture: Gareth Chaney Van the Man even had time for a bit of improvisation as he got close to the exit ramp: 'We're near the end game here,' he said, casting around to his band. 'What about some Summertime in England. Will we do it? Will we do it? Let's go.' Morrison went out in a blaze of glory with a stomping version of Gloria. Young, wearing a trademark check shirt and Maple Leaf T-shirt, powered his way through largely a hits set, with the odd surprise, including a couple of obscure Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young numbers. There was time for a stand-still, sing-along The Needle and The Damage Done, and a rambunctious Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black). An extended guitar solo filled out Like a Hurricane. It was then that his sidekick, the legendary organist Dewey 'Spooner' Oldham Jr (and one-time keyboardist for Aretha Franklin), came alive. He goes back the trail a long way with Young. There were ponchos everywhere in the crowd, as the rain came milling down. An older demographic, including more than one grey ponytail and the actor Stephen Rea, refused to have their spirits dampened by the persistent rain. Neil Young at Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin. Picture: Gareth Chaney Young had no time for grandstanding or political messages. He kept his banter to 'Good to be here with you all' sentiments, asking at one stage, 'People at the back, can you hear us? How are you doing?' 'We're wonderful, Neil,' came the eager response. Young left the ecstatic crowd with Rockin' in the Free World for his encore. Next stop on the road – Glastonbury for a headline show on Saturday. They're in for a treat. Out and about at Malahide Castle Faye Clague from Clonakilty and Yvette Daly from Kerry during the double bill concert of Van Morrison and Neil Young at Malahide Castle, Co Dublin. Pictures: Gareth Chaney Brendan Tangney and Cian O'Mathuna from Macroom, with Jim Theehan, Kilkenny. Amie O'Dowd and Elena O'Dowd from Boston at Malahide Castle. Kevin Keeler and Louise Keeler from Adelaide Australia at the gig. Audrey Darcy from Bettystown.
BBC News
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Van Morrison: Mixed reaction to new QUB artist-in-residence role
There has been a mixed reaction to the news that Van Morrison is to become Queen's University Belfast's first year-long partnership will see the Northern Irish musician provide two students with fully-funded will also put on a series of live performances across see it as a good opportunity for students, but others have said the musician is a "controversial choice". The initiative marks both the university's 180th anniversary and Van Morrison's 80th birthday. Olivia, 17, a music student at Assumption Grammar School in Ballynahinch, said that the partnership was "an exciting opportunity" for music students. She hopes to go to Queen's to study medicine in September and said it would be "great to see Van Morrison on campus".His song, Into the Mystic, was one of the first Olivia learned to play on guitar."I have grown up with Van Morrison, with my Dad playing him constantly," she said. "He is a big fan."The scholarship element of the partnership would make "a world of difference" to students, Olivia said. "People are already talking about accommodation prices and how stressful it is. It's such a wonderful opportunity." 'A tremendous difference' Ebony, 15, also a student at Assumption Grammar, said the scholarship could make a "tremendous difference" and "encourage pupils to follow their dreams and study for a career in music".She said it was "inspiring to have someone believe in you".Her dad is also "a big fan" of Van Morrison, playing his music in the car - and Ebony said she "couldn't help but sing along".Ebony is a singer, and is considering studying music at university."Music is my passion," she said."I think this opportunity is so good. I can't wait to go to university and hope there will be opportunities like this." However, Van Morrison has at times been a divisive has been embroiled, for example, in a long-running defamation battle with the former Stormont Health Minister Robin Swann which was settled in November. 'In two minds' Toby Shannon, who studied music at Queen's and now works in audio post-production, said the musician was a "weird and controversial choice" for the Shannon questioned whether some might be "opposed to taking financial aid from him because they don't really like him". He said he was "in two minds" about the initiative - but acknowledged that Van Morrison is "a big name and probably Northern Ireland's most successful musician"."It will attract eyes and ears to Northern Ireland and Queen's," he said."I can see why Queen's have done it."He added that it's "good to be able to support people who wouldn't be able to go to university". Mr Shannon does, however, feel that other musicians, such as Duke Special or composer Hannah Peel, might have been better added that Queen's could invest more in links with local musicians who could provide "good insights" on how to navigate the industry - and would also be up to speed with social media use, promotion and networking. Syeva Bondarenko, who also studied music at Queen's, said the partnership was "a nice gesture" but added that "the majority of local musicians don't go to university". "Speaking as someone who went to uni, it would be a better use of money to 'give back' to musicians in the local community. "Two scholarships is what, around £30,000 in total? Think of how many people that could help. "Split into 30, it could pay for 30 bands to record an EP, if not an album, as opposed to two people that could get a student loan." 'I don't know who he is' BBC News NI spoke to some students outside Queen's who hadn't actually heard of Van Morrison. "To be honest, I don't really know who he is but it's great that he's giving scholarships to students because it is hard being a student nowadays," one said he didn't have "a clue" who the musician was, but said the scholarship was a good way to get "more working class people into music at Queen's".A third student, who described himself a "big fan", said he was "very impressed" the singer was supporting students."He's had such an effect on Belfast as a whole and as a person from Belfast myself, I've seen that growing up," he said. 'A wonderful opportunity' Van Morrison said he was "delighted to deepen [his] relationship" with the university and looked forward to the events throughout the year. "This partnership is also a wonderful opportunity to inspire students, celebrate Belfast's rich musical heritage, and give back by supporting the next generation of musicians," he Sir Ian Greer, Queen's University Belfast president and vice-chancellor, said Van Morrison was "one of the most distinguished musicians of our time". "We are delighted to have him as our artist-in-residence," he said."This initiative will provide invaluable opportunities for our students and the wider community while enriching our cultural offerings. "As a university, we are committed to providing access to quality education to all students and partnerships such as this are vital to making this happen."
