It wouldn’t be a Newport Folk Festival without Mavis Staples leading an ensemble sing-along of “The Weight.” Staples was not on the bill at this year’s festival, so the crowd roared even louder when she appeared as a special surprise guest during the end of Hozier’s Friday evening headlining set at the festival.
Joined onstage by a slew of singers including Joan Baez (who is only officially at the festival to give a poetry reading), Nathaniel Rateliff, Madison Cunningham, Allison Russell, and more, Staples led the crowd on a joyful rendition of the Band classic, trading off verses with the aforementioned singers.
The performance marked a full circle moment: Hozier’s headlining set marked a decade since the singer first appeared at the festival months before his debut album was released. It was at that 2014 festival that the Irish singer first met Staples (Mavis calls him “Hozy”), which lead to their 2019 collaboration “Nina Cried Power.” 2024 also marks 10 years since Mavis sang the same song while celebrating her 75th birthday with a star-studded headlining set at the festival. It also marked 60 years since the Staple Singers first performed at the festival in 1964.
Hozier’s mainstage set included duet on 2015’s “Work Song” with Allison Russell as well as his current blockbuster hit “Too Sweet.”
The set, taking place at the festival’s 65th anniversary, then ended with an even more classic Newport moment: Baez leading the crowd through an acoustic rendition of “We Shall Overcome,” trading verses with Kaia Kater and William Prince.
Anika Nilles of Rush performs onstage during the 2026 JUNO AwardsCindy Ord/Getty Images
