It marked Dylan’s emergence from coffee house folkie to rock god, and it didn’t come without much controversy thanks to his electric performance at what had always been an acoustic affair.
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For years, rumors have run rampant about what caused the transformation and what happened that magical day in Rhode Island. The three-day festival is marking the anniversary with special performances and surprises, including Dylan’s guitar, which is now owned by the owner of the Indianapolis Colts.
The curator of Irsay’s rare guitar collection, Chris McKinney, brought it to the Newport Folk Festival on Friday, where an as-yet unnamed artist is set to play it. (Dylan is not attending this year’s festival, having last gone in 2002.). It was the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction.
Dylan’s guitar will also be in attendance during a discussion about Elijah Wald’s book Dylan Goes Electric!
This weekend’s festival is paying tribute to Dylan’s performance in a number of ways, including a still-secret lineup of around a dozen musicians on Sunday that will not be revealed until they step on stage. Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night that Split the Sixties.
The guitar hasn’t been played in public in 50 years, but the plan is to have someone play it this weekend, although exactly who will be playing it has yet to be determined. “It’s actually a good playing guitar”, according to McKinney. “It is such an important part of musical history, and Dylan was our generation’s Shakespeare, so it’s our way to give back and share”.
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They also note that Waters, who was performing for the first time since 2013, was joined at various times by Sara Watkins of bluegrass group Nickel Creek and Amy Helm, a fine singer-sonngwriter who recently released her debut, Didn’t It Rain. Roger Waters was backed by My Morning Jacket, Lucius and his longtime friend G.E. Smith for the duration of his headlining set at the Newport Folk Festival.
