After sunny skies and hot temperatures blessed the grounds of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival during it’s first weekend, it was inevitable that the rain gods would have their turn to play on the second weekend, which kicked off on Thursday. The at-times big, fat raindrops may have pounded down on Fest goers during Sonny Landreth, Mia Borders and Glide’s Artist To Catch Of The Day the Lost Bayou Ramblers but it never broke their spirit for the music as many revelers just danced in the mud.
It was a good, good time any way you looked at it. Dodging raindrops became a rite of passage to get to the best food the Fest booths had to offer, the music never stutter-stepped, and once the rain stopped and the humidity reared it’s ugly head, you couldn’t tell the precipitation from the perspiration. Louis Michot of the Lost Bayou Ramblers even stripped down to his undershirt while playing fiddle on the Gentilly Stage following an especially torrential downfall.
But the music ruled on what is traditionally known as locals day. Brandi Carlile made her first ever appearance at Jazz Fest and her excitement showed in her set and on her face. The Suffers, despite having some technical problems which caused their set to start late, instead of standing around waiting for technicians to solve the irritation, Kam Franklin and her boys gave out some splendid Aretha Franklin soul vibes to keep the crowd entertained. Longtime humanitarian advocate Buffy Sainte-Marie combined music and politics and awareness of the world around us. And Flo Rida brought spring break to the Congo stage, getting a steamy rise out not only the young girls but some older ones as well. When he threw out roses, they all fought for them equally.
The Suffers, Franklin and Susan Tedeschi brought some sparkle to the stages, Franklin in bright red sequins and Tedeschi in silver, while the latter’s husband Derek Trucks and special guest Billy Gibbons had a foothold on the beard is the perfect accessory department and Jimmy Vaughan paid a visit to the Tedeschi Trucks Band’s set. Gary Clark Jr and Mia Borders were both the essence of coolness, playing electric sets without breaking a sweat.
But it was Elvis Costello who shined the brightest. Opening with “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding” and rollicking through a setlist of hits and an homage to the late Allen Toussaint, who passed away last November and was the soul of Jazz Fest. It was well worth the wait.
Day Two will feature Glide’s Artist To Catch The Revivalists, Irma Thomas, Elvin Bishop, My Morning Jacket, Astral Project, Bonerama, Luther Kent, the Honey Island Swamp Band, Los Lobos, Wayne Toups, Luther Kent, Lauryn Hill and Paul Simon. You may need the boots as the grounds were pretty muddy yesterday but also bring your appetite. No rain is expected so it’s a ripe time to fill up on spicy NOLA food and great music.
Gary Clark Jr photos by Amy Harris