[3][4] AllMusic reviewer Ronnie D. Lankford Jr. wrote: "Recorded in 1965, Live at Newport captures Hopkins in a loose mood communing with an appreciative audience.

The nice thing about the album is that all the material seems to have come from the same set, giving the listener a taste of what seeing Hopkins at Newport might have been like.

... Live at Newport also includes several unreleased versions, making it a good album to add to one's Hopkins collection".

[5] The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings noted: "This amiable set from the Newport Folk Festival is stocked, as might be expected, with common pieces ... but includes long, ostensibly autobiographical 'Cotton Patch Blues'.

Although Lightnin' says several times he needs to warm up his fingers, he pulls off some startling guitar runs".