Hayley Williams Performs With Star-Studded Guests at Newport Folk

"Hayley Williams & Friends" Takes the Stage

The Friday night performance at the Newport Folk Festival 2026 was billed as a special set titled "Hayley Williams & Friends." During the 16-song setlist, Hayley Williams, known as the frontwoman of Paramore, delivered a performance that featured a wide array of collaborators from across the Rock, folk, and pop landscapes. The show at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, R.I., opened with the title track from Williams' 2025 solo album, Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party.

Throughout the evening, Williams performed several tracks from her new record alongside various guests. Karly Hartzman, of the band Wednesday, joined Williams for the song "Mirtazapine," while Annie DiRusso took the stage for a performance of "Disappearing Man." The set also featured Phoenix Rousiamanis, who appeared for the track "True Believer." The performance was part of the festival's weekend-long run of musicians performing stripped-down sets in the historic Newport setting.

Live Debuts and Solo Material

A significant portion of the headlining set was used to give several songs from Williams' previous solo efforts their live debut. Tracks from 2020’s Petals for Armor and 2021’s Flowers for Vases / Descansos were performed for the first time, as Williams' original touring plans to support those albums had been scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among these debuts was "Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris," which featured Lucy Dacus. Dacus, a member of the group Boygenius, originally provided background vocals for the studio version of the 2020 track and had performed her own set earlier that Friday on the festival's Fort Stage. Additionally, Kelsey Lu joined Williams for "Leave It Alone," and was later joined by Madi Diaz to perform "Find Me Here" alongside the headliner.

Collaborative Covers and Surprise Appearances

The "Friends" portion of the set included several high-profile covers of songs by Williams' guests. Jack Antonoff joined Williams on stage to play guitar and provide vocals for the Ego Death track "Good Ol’ Days." The two artists later shared a hug before performing "I Wanna Get Better," the 2014 debut single from Antonoff’s band, Bleachers. The performance saw Antonoff and Williams harmonizing on the vocals to significant cheers from the crowd.

In another notable moment, Jenny Lewis appeared to cover the Rilo Kiley song "Silver Lining," taken from the group's 2007 album Under the Blacklight. Williams joined Lewis on the third verse of the song, singing the following lyrics:

"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."

— Hayley Williams and Jenny Lewis

The collaborative atmosphere continued as Remi Wolf debuted a new song titled "Twiggy Little Butt" with Williams. Liam Benzvi also used the platform to debut his track "Thin Air." Other guest appearances included Joy Oladokun, who sang her song "I’d Miss the Birds," and This Is Lorelei, who joined for the track "I’m All Fucked Up."

Festival Context and Conclusion

The Friday schedule of the Newport Folk Festival also featured a headlining set from Ms. Lauryn Hill. The 2026 lineup for the historic event continued through the weekend with scheduled performances from The Lumineers, Nathaniel Rateliff, Brandi Carlile, Brandon Flowers, and Tom Morello.

Williams' set concluded with a massive group sing-along to the Bill Withers classic "Lean on Me," which featured the various guests who had appeared throughout the night. Following the show, the Newport Folk Festival shared a slideshow of images from the "Hayley Williams & Friends" performance on social media to commemorate the event.