Shea played at venues and events across Newport, from the now-closed Billy Goode's Tavern and Newport Blues Cafe to BridgeFest. On Saturday, he checked off the biggest local gig of them all: the Newport Folk Festival.

NEWPORT — Charlie Shea was a fixture on the local music scene as a teenager. When his hard-rock band, Bloody Knuckles, broke up in the summer of 2010, The Daily News ran a front-page story about it.

They decided to go their separate ways after one of them headed up to Vermont for college. Shea, who was about to start his sophomore year at Middletown High School, was asked what lay ahead for him. His goals were modest enough. “I might do something else, maybe play more originals plus a few covers,” he said. “Our goal was to become better musicians, to play live and to have fun. I think we did that. It’s all good.”

Shea played at venues and events across Newport, from the now-closed Billy Goode’s Tavern and Newport Blues Cafe to BridgeFest. On Saturday, he checked off the biggest local gig of them all: the Newport Folk Festival.

Now 24, Shea plays guitar for Rayland Baxter’s band that performed a set on the Quad Stage. After the first song, Baxter introduced most of his bandmates. They hail from places like Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He saved the local son for last. The crowd roared its approval.

Besides one show at a record store a few years ago, this was Shea’s first performance on Aquidneck Island since he moved to Nashville in 2014. “It’s been a long time. It feels awesome,” he told The Daily News. “When I grew up, I was coming to [the festival]. I’d have stars in my eyes. You get dreamy coming back to a place like this.”

Before taking the stage, Shea said he scanned the crowd and saw a lot of familiar faces. His parents, Michael and Robyn, were there, as well as many friends. When Shea caught the eye of his supporters, they gave him a knowing nod. Playing for a crowd filled with people he knows made it a “more meaningful” experience, he said.

A month off beckons, with only two shows to go, one at Gurney’s Resort & Marina on Saturday night and the other at Newport Blues Cafe on Sunday. For the next week, Shea will stay in Middletown, spending his days trying to catch waves at Surfer’s End at Sachuest Beach. He’s looking forward to eating at Ben’s Chili Dogs and stopping by Benjamin’s, where he used to be a food runner.

Reminded of the front-page story almost a decade ago about the dissolution of Bloody Knuckles, he laughed sheepishly and said he didn’t want to see it.

Shea, who first picked up a guitar at 9, said it’s surreal playing on some of the biggest stages. Asked if ever could have imagined such a life, he said, “I don’t want to say, ‘Yeah,’ but yeah. I say this all the time. I didn’t even think of the possibility I could stop playing guitar. I never wanted to.”

dgomes@newportri.com