Notes:
The Newport Folk Festival this year called themselves Folk On 2021 and had a stellar line-up over 6 days. The main part of the festival was the weekend July 23-25, but they also had three weekdays of shows afterwards July 26-28. They also interestingly did not exactly announce a line-up, but instead allowed the acts who were coming to tell their fans if they wanted (long after it had sold-out, of course). Beck announced he was coming a couple weeks prior.
Beck was a headliner on the Lawn Stage on Tuesday, July 27 evening of Folk On.
Beck began the setlist alone, playing some of his older folk songs and favorite covers. (The medley also included a Mississippi John Hurt song, but Beck didn't sing anything for it, just played guitar, and I didn't locate its title.)
After all that Beck's old friend, Smokey Hormel joined him for "Guess I'm Doing Fine" (and he stayed for much of the rest of the set). Sharon Van Etten, who played the set prior to Beck's, joined him to sing on "Asshole." Beck hadn't played "Tropicalia" since 2014. Beck hears someone ask for "Where It's At," so he noodles the lick on his acoustic guitar for a second. Beck tries "Just Noise" for the first time since 2013, as he likes to dig into Song Reader when he plays Newport.
For "Everybody's Gotta Learn," Beck brings out Jack Antonoff, Zem Audu, and Evan Smith from Bleachers to join him (who were also on the bill that night). Zem and Evan both played sax, while Jack played guitar and sang a verse himself. (The saxes were a very cool touch.)
After that Beck does "Lost Cause" by himself, which is rudely interrupted by Fred Armisen soundchecking his drums for his later set. Armisen sticks around to play his drums and improvise some seduction on "Debra."
Lastly, the three guys from Bleachers return to join Fred, Smokey, and Beck to close it all down on "Loser."
[
people and bands]
Drum Machine: Beck Hansen
Drums: Fred Armisen
Guitar (Acoustic Slide): Beck Hansen, Smokey Hormel
Guitar (Acoustic): Beck Hansen, Jack Antonoff
Guitar (Electric): Smokey Hormel
Harmonica: Beck Hansen
Headliner: Brothers of a Feather, Deer Tick, Jason Isbell, Nathaniel Rateliff
Other Band: Allison Russell, Emma Swift, Sharon Van Etten, Steve Gunn
Saxophone: Evan Smith, Zem Audu
Vocals: Beck Hansen, Fred Armisen, Jack Antonoff
Vocals (Background): Sharon Van Etten, Smokey Hormel