Coachella kicks off the big-ticket festival season two months from now, but it’s never earlier enough to be thinking about the power of live music. If you’ve heard anything at all about the Newport Folk Festival in the 1960s, it’s probably in regards to the controversy over Bob Dylan playing an electric set in 1965 at the mainly acoustic gathering. (There’s considerable disagreement over the audience reaction to the string-bending version of “Maggie’s Farm” with which Dylan launched his three-song set and whether people really were booing the amped-up sound.) Well, there was a lot more going on at Newport besides Dylan, including performances by Peter, Paul, and Mary that remind just how rad (and more than “Puff the Magic Dragon”) they were, plus this incredible gem from Son House.
The Mississippi native was in his 60s when he played Newport, a comeback after years in the shadows thanks to a revival in authentic southern blues. House tells you everything you need to know about the blues–even how to spell it. Must watch.
This clip is from the film Festival, which you can pick up at Amazon for about $14.
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