Ryan Adams paid a visit to Rhode Island on Friday to help the legendary Newport Folk Festival celebrate its 55th anniversary. During his set, Adams introduced the audience to a new song from his forthcoming new album, Ryan Adams, which is due out on September 9th. "It's like a protest song, protesting the death of my grandmother," Adams told the audience of the new track called "My Wrecking Ball."


Adams released the album's lead single, "Gimme Something Good," at the beginning of July, and on the 22nd, he kicked off his first tour with a live band since 2009. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the alt-country veteran talked about getting back on the road after his recovery from the inner-ear disorder Ménière's disease, which had sidelined his career for a while. "I'm ready for the challenge," he said. "I just did that last [acoustic] tour, and I'm so proud of that – like, I am so proud. I was getting really tired and the more tired you get, the better the chances are that you're going to get screwed up. But, when I play music now, it's the safest place."

Adams' next tour stop brings him to Camden, New Jersey for the XPoNential Music Festival on Saturday. His fellow performers on Friday's Newport bill included Jimmy Cliff and Band of Horses; this year's lineup also includes Jack White, Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy.