Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Fest - July 30th, 2023

[CinnamonGay 10,513]

1 hour ago, sierramadre said:

I would die. He’s one of the best songwriters alive right next to Lana, and their styles as of recently are so similar. I hope they connected yesterday. 

Yessss.  Him and Sufjan are so underrated as songwriters. 

[bluechemtrails 22,921]

for Rolling Stone she was one of the best performances

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/newport-folk-festival-lana-del-rey-james-taylor-1234797217/

[rocknrollgroupie 3,681]

A girl that follows my account on Instagram told me that her best friend got to meet Lana and Rob in Newport today. She asked the girl “was it too much me getting dragged off the stage yesterday?” and that she was overthinking it 😭🥹

It was beautiful and so meaningful, she changed the setlist to make it more close to the festivals vibe and was so happy performing at her dads hometown… Critics just pick one thing they dislike and let it overshadow all the good things she did/does. 

[Lanaspoisonivy 2,896]

finally she's getting some love by the critics and I'm so here for it. Although they still nit pick and it's annoying 

[venicebitch 13,344]

9 minutes ago, rocknrollgroupie said:

A girl that follows my account on Instagram told me that her best friend got to meet Lana and Rob in Newport today. She asked the girl “was it too much me getting dragged off the stage yesterday?” and that she was overthinking it 😭🥹

It was beautiful and so meaningful, she changed the setlist to make it more close to the festivals vibe and was so happy performing at her dads hometown… Critics just pick one thing they dislike and let it overshadow all the good things she did/does. 

I think it was a little too much. Not the intention itself, just the execution. She needs to hire better choreographers, cause her (I assume) ideas are actually beautiful 

[longtimeman 8,069]

Not me sitting watching videos at 6.30 am, crying my eyes out to Hope and For Free.

[BoardingSchool 2,661]

I love all the interpretations of the choreo and would add it's likely also a reference to The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, about a young woman being institutionalized in a mental hospital. The white sheet suggests a shroud as well as a straitjacket. Lots of layers. 

 

I NEED the chill tropical version of SS to be released as a single.  

She sounded SO GOOD throughout 

[honeymoon is alive 15,120]

5 hours ago, White Dress said:

I'm not gonna lie, this set list would be very disappointing to me if I saw her. It's all very... mellow. Beautiful songs just a little tame for my taste

it was a folk festival which most of the crowd didn't buy a ticket to see her, I think the setlist was perfect for the ocasion 

[Traveler 665]

33 minutes ago, BoardingSchool said:

I love all the interpretations of the choreo and would add it's likely also a reference to The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, about a young woman being institutionalized in a mental hospital. The white sheet suggests a shroud as well as a straitjacket. Lots of layers. 

 

I NEED the chill tropical version of SS to be released as a single.  

She sounded SO GOOD throughout 

Clearly, The Bell Jar is a major influencer in Lana's lyrics,  "I saw my life..." written on the mirror by one of the dancers is a direct quote from The Bell Jar... But it's not just in Hope...  A&W first line is proof of that... Lana  "I haven't done a cartwheel since I was nine" - Plath "I felt happier than I had been since I was nine"  Lana - The double mirrors on stage - Plath The magic mirror, the study of the double... and there are others as well...

[PARADIXO 31,607]

Please she sounded SO good during For Free wow

 

Her confidence shined from start to finish

 

Hope was an incredible closer, much better than Video Games. Actually 2 more songs after VG is perfect. It's a shame she messed up the lyrics quite a few times, but I could tell she was focused on the choreo and everything, and was probably a bit nervous to sing such song only for the second time ever.

 

I'm so happy we have this Hope performance because as much as I loved the Hollywood Bowl one, the screaming and people yelling stupid stuff ruined the footage we have. This crowd was phenomenal yet respectful.

[TheCultureIsLit 542]

I'm loving the analyses of the "Hope" performance. Does anyone have further ideas/interpretations regarding the part where the three dancers and Lana are in a line and take turns turning the head of the person in front of them? And then Lana talking to the CIA agents? I did really like the Marilyn interpretation, as I totally believe that Lana could base the performance off of that, but just wanted to welcome any additional ideas. I also noticed she changed lyrics. Not sure if it was intentional or she just semi forgot the words, but I'd lean towards intentional.

 

Live Lyrics:

"There's a new evolution, a quiet revolution that I saw

Born of confusion, and quiet collusion of which nothing I know

I'm a weak constitution, but a modern day woman but I've got

Monsters still under my bed that I could never fight off

I'm like a gatekeeper carelessly keeping my tales with the lights off"

 

Album Lyrics:

"There's a new revolution, a loud evolution that I saw
Born of confusion and quiet collusion of which mostly I've known
A modern day woman with a weak constitution, 'cause I've got
Monsters still under my bed that I could never fight off
A gatekeeper carelessly dropping the keys on my nights off"

 

I'll also note that when she says "Of which nothing I know", it's when it seems like she's giving a statement to the CIA agent. Then they lean forward as if to threaten her, so it makes it seem like she is being intimidated into not speaking about something. This could tie into the Marilyn theory. I don't know much about her story, but in googling, it seems as though there are conspiracies that the CIA killed her for knowing too many secrets, so maybe Lana is being like "nope I don't know anything" as self-preservation.

 

Am I looking too deep? Probably, but it's interesting and the conspiracy theorist in me is coming out. Lol

[how the light shines in 2,176]

She introduced Hope by saying
"I also just wanna take a moment to think about my grandparents and my uncle who are buried in Barrington(?) amongst all my generations of family and just send a lot of love out to them and to their spirit, to the water---" "I've only wanted to play here since I was- I don't know, Fourteen. So Thank you"

 

And then switches up the lyrics to say

 

"Hello, It's the most famous woman you know on the Ipad

Calling from the Barrington grave I just wanna say, Hi Dad"

 

So touching, this is one of my favourite performances she's ever done 

[Umaniac 1,793]

I’m sorry but I hate seeing people shit on hope choreography on Twitter etc. It’s clear it was Lana that planned the whole thing, I mean which choreographer would make her sit with two men reading books?? There was intention behind every move and it was coming from Lana. Also who said slow songs couldn’t have a choreography? I mean I also don’t love it when her dancers shake their asses to born to die but with this performance I felt like they were kinda on point but still over dramatic. Also I kinda loved her getting dragged to leave, we always complain she doesn’t do anything new and yet make fun of it when she does it???

[blackenedrussianpoetry 1,808]

This show’s rendition of hope is a dangerous thing really turned the composition into a full Leonard Cohen song with that string…

beautiful and theatrical

[Three White Butterflies 26,347]

Was this posted already. I can’t stop thinking about it. This man sounds so bitter im ready to fight

 

https://consequence.net/2023/07/lana-del-rey-newport-folk-festival-review/amp/

[yyxy 1,128]

who else gagged with the choreography because i did 

[Traveler 665]

44 minutes ago, Three White Butterflies said:

Was this posted already. I can’t stop thinking about it. This man sounds so bitter im ready to fight

 

https://consequence.net/2023/07/lana-del-rey-newport-folk-festival-review/amp/

He sounds like a joy to be around...

 

When you know, you know and obviously when you don't, you don't...

[rightofjupiter 15,889]

14 hours ago, TheCultureIsLit said:

Does anyone have further ideas/interpretations regarding the part where the three dancers and Lana are in a line and take turns turning the head of the person in front of them?

imo this read to me as women telling each other/witnessing each other’s trauma; Lana has spoken about how me too informed this song and I think that part of the choreo was a beautiful representation of the kind of “whisper networks” that me too engendered/spoke to. 
 

and then, after the women telling each other about their experiences privately, institutions represented by the CIA guys (police etc) responded by threatening them rather than supporting.

[Rocket0212 1,909]

So this was something new for her and it's good that she's trying different things but I can't take that Hope performance seriously. It's kinda giving high school talent show and honestly I enjoyed it for the campiness. Not sure that it was her goal though.

[IanadeIrey 60,718]

If I ever said the dancers looked ridiculous during Video Games, well, I take it back after seeing Hope live.  That kind of interpretive dance, which tells a story around Lana’s emoting quality, is all the more moving.
 

Hope needs to close all her shows - the way she exits the stage is so tragic and beautiful, but real.