Willie Nile Band ~ 2025 October 11 ~ Broadway Street Fair, Newport, RI
Willie Nile (vocals, guitar), Johnny Pisano (bass, vocals), Jimi K Bones (guitar, vocals), Al Vetere (drums).
Set List
Wild Wild World - We Are, We Are - Vagabond Moon - Children Of Paradise - It's All Over - Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 {Bob Dylan} - An Irish Goodbye - Give Me Tomorrow - Heaven Help the Lonely - Sweet Jane {Lou Reed} - House of 1000 Guitars - One Guitar - Runnin' Down a Dream {Tom Petty} - Hard Day's Night {Beatles}
Review
This was the second time in over 30 Willie Nile concerts that I'd seen him at an outdoor venue, this time at the Broadway Street Fair in Newport, RI, an annual festival with street vendors, food, games, and two day-long music stages. This stage was set up in front of the Old Colony House in Washington Square, an elegant building with a long history going back to the American Revolution. Willie and his band played a one hour fifteen minute set, wowing an audience consisting of a few fans who'd come specifically to see them and about a hundred festival goers who encircled the stage with that who-is-this-guy enthusiasm that happens when you stumble upon a band that really catches your fancy when you didn't know what to expect. Johnny Pisano on bass, Jimi K. Bones on guitar, Al Vetere making his band debut on drums.
Not much time for banter, but Willie did talk about Mr. Noonan the elder, who at 107 going on 108 (birthday is Nov. 14) is now the 27th oldest man in America (out of something like 165 million), lives at home in Buffalo, takes no medication, and has a sense of humor to beat the band. Willie had his dad in mind when he wrote the standout track from the new record, "Irish Goodbye" (instant singalong). Played two other tracks from the new record, a variety of his own songs from his long career, mixed in some crowd pleasing covers (Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane," Tom Petty's "Running Down a Dream"), wowed the multitude with his guitar tandem, "One Guitar" and "House of a Thousand Guitars" and finished up with the make-your-heart-beat-faster Beatles' "Hard Days Night."There was music at this stage all afternoon; the band serving as the opening band for Willie was Dopey Lopes and The Up All Night Band. I believe Dopey himself was responsible for recruiting the musicians who provided the entertainment. He seemed to be personally acquainted with Willie. As they were playing their set before Willie was due to go on, he saw Willie walking toward the stage and instructed his band to play Willie's song "Shoulders." (Willie pulled out his cell phone and took a video, and looked over at me and whispered "not bad.") During "One Guitar," Willie invited Dopey up on stage to sing along.
It's always great to see a free afternoon show on a nice fall afternoon day. Getting there was a bit of an adventure with traffic and all, but all these years of traveling in the interest of following our rock 'n roll faves has gotten us used to that. Willie, Johnny, and Kathy the merch girl were all happy to see us (since they weren't sure they'd see any familiar faces at all), and they were all impressed with the glorious setting of Newport and the mansions. Come back when you have time and do the Cliff Walk, I told them.
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