Hayley Williams Stuns Newport Folk Fest with Star-Studded Surprise Guests!

The 2026 Newport Folk Festival, held live at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, R.I., featured a highly anticipated set billed as “Hayley Williams & Friends” on Friday, July 24. Paramore’s frontwoman, Hayley Williams, took the stage with a long list of notable guests, delivering a memorable 16-song performance that spanned her own work and covers.

Among the prominent musicians who joined Williams during her headlining slot were Jack Antonoff, Lucy Dacus, and Jenny Lewis. The set kicked off with “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party,” the title track from her 2025 album, and concluded with a group rendition of the Bill Withers classic “Lean on Me.”

Jack Antonoff joined Williams for two key moments. They performed “I Wanna Get Better,” Bleachers’ debut single from 2014, with Antonoff and Williams harmonizing on vocals after sharing a hug. Antonoff also contributed on guitar for Williams’ “Ego Death” song, “Good Ol’ Days.”

In another special collaboration, Williams performed “Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris” live for the very first time, accompanied by Lucy Dacus. Dacus, known as one-third of Boygenius, originally provided background vocals on the 2020 “Petals for Armor” track. Dacus also had her own set on the Fort Stage earlier that Friday.

A surprise highlight of Williams’ set, captured by a concertgoer, involved Jenny Lewis. Williams welcomed the Rilo Kiley singer-songwriter to cover “Silver Lining” from the group’s 2007 album “Under the Blacklight.” Williams joined Lewis on vocals from the third verse, singing impactful lines such as, “And the grass it was a-ticking/ And the sun was on the rise/ I never felt so wicked/ As when I willed our love to die/ And I was your silver lining, as the story goes/ I was your silver lining, but now I’m gold.”

The extensive list of other musicians who shared the stage with Williams that Friday in Newport included Karly Hartzman, This Is Lorelei, Joy Oladokun, Liam Benzvi, Annie DiRusso, Kelsey Lu, Remi Wolf, Phoenix Rousiamanis, and Madi Diaz. Post-show, Newport Folk Festival shared a slideshow of pictures from the “Williams & Friends” set on Instagram, highlighting the night’s collaborations.

Friday night’s festival schedule also featured a headlining set by Ms. Lauryn Hill. The historic Newport Folk Festival continued throughout Saturday and Sunday, with performances scheduled from artists like The Lumineers, Nathaniel Rateliff, Brandi Carlile, Brandon Flowers, and Tom Morello.