Newport Folk Festival
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History
The Electric Dylan controversy
Main article: Electric Dylan controversy
Bob Dylan's 1963 and 1964 performances solo and with Baez had made him popular with the Newport crowd, but on July 25, 1965 festival headliner Dylan was booed by some fans when he played with backing band The Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
It is usually said that the reason for the hostile reception by a small number of fans was Dylan's "abandoning" of the folk orthodoxy, or poor sound quality on the night (or a combination of the two). The controversy regarding the reaction of the audience at this event is often overplayed, as it was not the general reaction of the audience, but rather that of a small number of folk "purists", including Pete Seeger. The reaction of "the crowd" to Dylan's performance, certainly from eyewitness accounts, was generally quite enthusiastic. This performance, Dylan's first live "plugged-in" set of his professional career, marked the shift in his artistic direction from folk to rock, and had wider implications for both genres. The performance marked the first time Dylan performed "Like a Rolling Stone" in public.
Despite the musical transition, Dylan's growing status within the larger counterculture ensured that his place in the expanding movement would remain secure.
Dylan did not return to Newport until 2002, when he played a headlining performance while wearing a wig and fake beard.
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Electric Dylan controversy
By 1965, Bob Dylan was the leading songwriter of the American folk music revival. The response to his albums
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan and
The Times They Are a-Changin' led the media to label him the "spokesman of a generation".
In March 1965, Dylan released his fifth album
Bringing It All Back Home. Side one features him backed by an electric band, while side two features him accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. On July 20, 1965, he released his single "Like a Rolling Stone" featuring a rock sound. On July 25, 1965, he performed his first electric concert at the Newport Folk Festival, joined by guitarist Mike Bloomfield and Barry Goldberg of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Some sections of the audience booed the performance, leading members of the folk movement to criticize him for moving away from political songwriting and for performing with an electric band, including Irwin Silber[a 2] and Ewan MacColl.[2] Dylan continued his trend towards electric rock music on his next two albums,
Highway 61 Revisited (August, 1965) and Blonde on Blonde (June, 1966).
On subsequent tours throughout 1965 and 1966, his electric sets (now backed by The Hawks) were often met with derisiveness from the audience. Crowds became particularly acrimonious during a British tour, including an oft-cited incident in Manchester, where a member of the crowd shouted "Judas!" at Dylan; shows from this tour have been documented in several Dylan documentaries including 2005's
No Direction Home. Over time, Dylan continued to evolve musically, turning to country music on
Nashville Skyline (April 1969), and drifting through numerous styles throughout the rest of his career. Over time, his electric period has since come to be recognized by critics and fans as producing some of his best-received music, and his controversial performance at Newport has been considered a pivotal moment in the development of folk rock.
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I've been waiting for a chance to post this:
Kaleb Horton Retweeted
"There’s a birthday in the news, Bob Dylan is celebrating his 80th. Can you believe that? But Bob’s still pushing the envelope, word on the street is his wheelchair just went electric."
Fri Jul 25, 2025:
On this day July 25, 1965, Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival
Sun Jul 25, 2021:
On this day, July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan plugged in his guitar at the Newport Folk Festival.
= new reply since forum marked as read
