Newport Folk Festival has been celebrating its 60th anniversary with lots of music fans and big stars going down to Newport, for the weekend, and many big performances. The festival performances include stars like Dolly Parton, Warren Haynes, Sheryl Crow, Phil Lesh and many more.
Of all these A-listers, fans gathered for the music festival were surprised with a performance from the one and only Kermit The Frog. The surprise performance was to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the re-release of The Muppet Movie, which will be out in theatres 30th July 2019.
Now, Kermit, one of the widely beloved Muppets character is not only an iconic figure for kids and grownups alike, but he also has a hit single of his own, “Bein’ Green” (1970), and “The Rainbow Connection” (1979). The Rainbow Connection was, in fact, No.25 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The 1979 kit, from The Muppet Movie, was written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher. Kermit the Frog was not alone on stage, as he was accompanied by Jim James and Janet Weiss. Janet Weiss, the former drummer of Sleater-Kinney, was all too happy to accompany Kermit in his timeless folk ballad, Rainbow Connection.
This was Weiss’s first public performance after announcing his departure from the band. While performing, Kermit welcomed on stage his friend, The Morning Jacket’s Jim James, to sing along with him. Kermit has even shared the sweet moment on his twitter and hoping of someday finding the rainbow connection.
The performance has become viral and can be seen online, with Kermit The Frog seated on a stool on the stage, and Jim James next to him, with a blue blazer with rainbows and stars on them. This performance will go down in the history of rock music and Newport Folk Festival, as one of the greatest moments.