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Jack Antonoff brought his Ally Coalition Talent Show from New York City to Newport Folk Festival on Friday, essentially splitting his headlining set between a Bleachers gig and a guest-heavy superjam. The big “surprise” of the evening was when Paramore’s Hayley Williams came out to give a live debut to her new track “Mirtazapine.”
Previously released only on Nashville Public Radio, this was likely the first time many had even heard the song. For as cut with a ’90s jagged edge as “Mirtazapine” is, it didn’t feel overly anatopic at Newport Folk; perhaps it’s because William’s vocals weren’t as washed in delay, or because Antonoff’s acoustic guitar was more forward. Besides which, at the modern Newport Folk Festival, a little screaming and head-banging isn’t as unfamiliar as it once was.
Williams stayed on to duet with Antonoff on Modern English’s classic “Melt with You,” contributing to the Festival’s joyous legacy of collaborative tributes.
While her appearance onstage may have been a shock to some fans, many probably knew she was coming. Instead of secreting herself backstage before the set, Williams enjoyed her first time at the Fort, and could be seen watching Geese’s Cameron Winter’s solo set and Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Hidden in Pieces” performance from side-stage.
That doesn’t mean Antonoff and Bleacher’s set wasn’t full of true surprises. Appearances by Maren Morris (for Bleacher’s “Don’t Go Dark” and not her Antonoff-produced “Welcome to the End,” oddly) and Jeff Tweedy (a cover of Lana Del Rey’s “Margaret” and Wilco’s “Kamera) made sense, as both were also on the Newport Folk bill. So were Waxahatchee and Dan Reeder, but they were both joined by unlisted guest Weyes Blood on Roy Orbison’s “You Got It” and Reeder’s own “Maybe” with Peggy Reeder. Weyes Blood also delivered a gorgeous “Dream a Little Dream of Me” with Antonoff.
Rufus Wainwright was another big surprise, as he joined the band for Bleacher’s “45” and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Not Dark Yet.” With a wide grin, Wainright thanked Antonoff for inviting him to “do a Bob Dylan song at the Newport Folk Festival!”
As for Bleachers’ own setlist, they played “91,” “Rollercoaster,” “Goodmorning,” and acoustic version of “I Wanna Get Better” (which Antonoff noted he originally wrote “as a folk song but produced it really loud to hide behind it”), their cover of The Waterboys’ “The Whole of the Moon,” and “Modern Girl.” The balance between Antonoff originals and guest-aided covers was, admittedly, a bit off for what these Newport Folk headlining collaborations tend to be — and, from what I’ve heard, what the Ally Coalition Talent Shows tend to be — but we got to see Hayley motha-effing Williams at Newport Folk Festival, so we’re not complaining.
Check out video and photos from the set below.
English (US) · 