Newport Folk Festival wraps up with celebration of Dylan

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay purchased Dylan’s Newport guitar in 2013 for $965,000, making it the most expensive guitar to ever hit the auction block.

“Dylan’s guitar is home”, festival producer Jay Sweet said in a statement given to a spokesperson. He said Irsay would be thrilled if any musician wants to play the guitar onstage at this year’s folk festival. (It wasn’t the first time Waters played the song in tribute to the drummer.).

James Taylor played a surprise set on Saturday, while My Morning Jacket played unannounced on Friday, before backing Roger Waters. But Waters’ set at Newport not only connected the folk tradition with The Dark Side of the Moon, but turned watery skies into a sun that shone like a insane diamond.

My Morning Jacket were a last minute addition the line-up of the US festival and joined Waters on stage after having played their own set earlier in the day.

The moment signified Dylan’s break from the folk movement and is considered one of the most important moments in rock history. Fifty years ago today, on July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan scandalized the folk world by (gasp!) plugging his guitar in and launching into “Maggie’s Farm”.

A pilot who transported Dylan soon after the legendary performance found the Fender Stratocaster on his plane and tried, unsuccessfully, to return it to Dylan. The original ones Dylan used were thought to have still been on the instrument. “It’s actually a good playing guitar”, as indicated by McKinney.

McKinney said he plans to bring the guitar to the book discussion on Sunday.