Paul Robicheau
Love and lightness (if often at intersections with death and faith) filtered through many of the songs in Nick Cave’s sonically naked “solo” concert.
Janelle Monáe’s an impressive singer and capable rapper but she is indeed phenomenal as a performer, showing keen attention to the craft.
The veteran English art-rocker gave a slow-to-develop but brilliant near-three-hour show that tapped stunning visuals while evolving from the cerebral to the celebratory, culminating in a joyous “In Your Eyes.”
Godspeed’s left-wing view was most clearly reflected at a merch table dominated by books on working-class resistance and anarchism, while the group’s dissonant post-rock embodied tension.
There was no doubt guitarist Chuck Garvey was already up to the task, sealing the grit and heart necessary to return moe. to jam-bound heights.
Languid sameness dominated the Wang concert at times, though the acoustic strings and subtly submerged horns and percussion made the sonic scope of Sigur Rós’ music more delicate and human.
John McLaughlin says that even if audiences haven’t heard Indian music before, they are catching on. “They feel what we feel,” he says. “We’re all walking the tightrope, and audiences follow.”
Sunday arguably offered the jazz festival’s most impressive lineup. The star of the day turned out to be singer Samara Joy.
The 76-year-old Carlos Santana didn’t need to dominate with guitar showmanship to make his two-hour-plus concert fly without any lag in energy and spirit.
The real magic of the 2023 Newport Folk Festival didn’t arrive via high-wattage cameos but by way of the quality and quantity of collaborations from its homegrown community of musicians — as well as the cultural diversity of its lineup.
Arts Commentary: The Orchestra Gap — Europe vs. the US