It’s about the time of year for the Newport Folk Festival, what has become my most liked musical outing of the year. While it doesn’t seem like I am going to make it this year (the damn thing sells out pretty quickly these days – as does the town), I got to thinking about Newport Folk recently and dug my way into these great old clips from the golden age of the festival, the heady days of 1960s.

The modern festival stands on its own with an excellently selected cast of old and new acts, a bill that is perennially stacked with classic performers and emerging artists. The crowd is a great mix as well, with a beautiful cross-section of people. It’s a respectful bunch too, helping to cement the modern 3-day music fest’s place at the top of its class.

When you find yourself on that beautiful peninsula overlooking Newport Harbor and a seemingly endless sea of picturesque boats of every stripe, it conjures a beautiful connection with the many people who have been there before you. To realize that this is the place where Dylan first went electric (to the disdain and bewonderment of many) and to think back at the history of NFF and it’s connection to American culture, it makes you appreciate how special the gathering truly is. There’s really nothing like it. Of only everyone didn’t know this and the poor planners among us weren’t so often left only to these videos to simply dream of Newport on a warm July day.