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...just returned from the second weekend of Jazzfest - the first weekend had a big rainstorm but this weekend it was sunny and about 80 degrees every day.This was my first time there and NO is all about music, food, drinking and having fun - a great vibe.
We started off on Wednesday night getting into a sold out show at Tipitina's Club to see St. Paul and the Broken Bones - don't miss them because they put on a great show and he really can sing.
At Jazzfest all of the music is terrific and the sound is amazingly good everywhere with large video screens beside the 4 largest stages - there just might be some styles or genres you don't care for as much. There are 10 different stages around the venue with everything from Jazz and Blues to Cajun and Zydeco going from 11:30am to 7pm and you can wander from stage to stage. The food is all local from different restaurants and is terrific, too.
Thursday Jazzfest began and the highlight was seeing a 24 year old Amanda Shaw and the Cute Guys. We saw a variety of great music from other bands and finished with Allison Krause and Union Station. The headliner that day was Widespread Panic which we heard briefly as we left. Crowd was moderate.
Friday the music got better and the crowd larger. The highlight was Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys. We also saw the Jambalaya Cajun Band the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Chicago and a number of other bands. Music was getting better. No Doubt was the headliner.
Saturday was different - there was a long line to get in and a LOT of people. The large area in front of the main stage where Elton John would be headlining at 5pm was completely filled in. We didn't see as much different music because it was too hard to get around through the crowd to see the different stages. We saw Marcia Ball, Trombone Shorty with Kermit Ruffin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Classic R&B Divas with the Dixie Cups and finally Sir Elton. There were more people here watching Elton John than I've ever seen in one place before - someone estimated 800,000 - very little security and no hassles or fights. Everyone was friendly and just having a great time. Like Woodstock with a little older crowd, no mud, beer and lawn chairs.
Highly recommended you go if you ever get the chance.
Edits: 05/04/15 05/04/15Follow Ups:
Congrats on your first visit to JF. It really is about the best music fest there is anywhere. The music is extremely diverse. Much more so than people would expect, especially with a name like that. I've seen some big name modern and classic rocks groups there that I had never managed to see before, and all for quite cheap.
Entertainers like Elton John, etc. will definitely create shoulder to shoulder situations at the Gentilly stage (the main one), and it is definitely hard to get around come show time. I'll plant my chair there ahead of time and then make sure to get back to it a bit before show time with at least a couple of cold beers to tide me over. Great thing about JF is that they don't limit the number of beers you can buy. It is also amazing that considering the number of people on really busy days like that, and all the alcohol consumed, I have never seen any sort of altercation in the many times I have been there.
You got to see some great music from the ones you mentioned, many of which are always on my list, as they play there regularly. Amanda Shaw is one of my favorites, and one of the reasons I first attended years back. She has one hell of a voice, and her live performances far outshine the mediocre attention her recordings have been given, which is a shame. FYI: if you don't know already JF produces live recordings of many of the acts there every year. I think there is a link on their website that takes you to the sales site for this. The recordings are not all that great, but are nice to have as reminders from a show that you actually attended. I have all of the Amanda Shaw ones.
And as you mentioned the sound quality is top notch at all of the stages. The large video screens at the big stages also make it easy to sit farther back and have a great times without fighting all the crowds. The fact that the larger stages also have a second line of speakers halfway back on the field guarantees you great sound as well. I have always been impressed with the sound quality no matter where I sit. And yes, you can also get some great food right there at JF, as it is provided by the local restaurants, and not the usual carny-like vendors you see elsewhere.
A splendid time is guaranteed for all!
where they showed Shorty , Jerry Lee (who'll be 80 soon) ans Marcia that you saw among others. I'm glad you had fun. To me there is nothing like J&H. Cowboy Mouth was a fun band for me that I hadn't seen before. I didn't love the music but the band frontman, the drummer, was a hoot.
Congrats on your first visit to NO, it's quite unique isn't it? did you have a Muffaletta at the City Deli? Did you shop for vinyl? I remember Record Rons. It's a blast every time I go.
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...we had 3 different Po' Boys and pheasant gumbo at Jazzfest, dinner at Commander's Palace, beignets from Cafe Du Monde and a muffaleta from a deli at the airport on the way home.
Yum!
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This is New Orleans. It's the City Grocery.
Thanks, it has been a while! Gonna fix that this year! My wife (from Europe) hasn't been there yet in her 11 years here.
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Maybe it's just me but I'm not that high on muffaletas. As they go, besides Central Grocery, Napoleon House is also well known for them.
I personally recommend a shrimp, crayfish, catfish, oyster, roast beef or whatever Po-Boys. They are all over. Probably the best is Domilises' due to their unknown special sauce, but not easy to get to and in a questionable area. The place also looks like a dive. It's a very small restaurant and bar in the front. The family lives in the rear.
We do local shops. There are three great ones within 5 minutes of our house. We do Po-boys about once a month. Also, in season, you would need to do boiled crawfish or BBQ shrimp. BBQ shrimp isn't what you think. Pascal Manales is the best BBQ shrimp. From downtown, it's a short street car ride. You should do the street car to somewhere anyway. .
I'm not a resident and know they're probably many dozens of places that top those two. But in well over a year of staying there on business over the years, those were our 2 "go to" spots when we wanted po-boys. Marias was another in the late 80s but I'm betting they're long gone.
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"E Burres Stigano?"
I'm no longer familiar with the best shops downtown or in the quarter. I worked downtown for 26 years, but for the past 15 years have worked closer to home.
There is no reason for us to go to the quarter to get a good po-boy. If you ask 10 natives where to get the best po-boy in NO, you are likely to get 10 answers. The reason is that practically every neighborhood has an awesome po-boy shop. Within 5 minutes of my house, we have Short Stop, our current favorite, Parrentons, previous favorite, and Central Sandwich which includes a bar. These are all top notch. Parrentons and Central sandwich are on the same block separated by one building! The way I discovered Central Sandwich was one day Parrentons was closed. It's nuts.
All this talk makes me think it's going to be shrimp and catfish Friday night. It's been at least a month.
I have been watching her grow up. I think that she was probably 10 the first time I saw her.
Great run down. The term is "pass a good time".
...she opened with Hiway to Hell and it knocked me out.
I love her attitude. Her voice reminds me of a combination of Pat Benetar with a little Betty Boop.
Jazzfest time packs that city. No way anyone can casually drop in on a drive-by. I tried once. Couldn't find a room within 200 miles. But music everywhere -- free in the streets as well as the paid venues.
...one couple had a daughter who graduated from Tulane 2 years ago and knows their way around.
They rented a 3 bedroom house on VRBO 8 months ago.
We got lucky and got a reservation at Commander's Palace for Friday night.
Weekend nights at Commanders usually requires reservations made weeks in advance, and during Jazz Fest people from out of town have them booked up way in advance. I live here and have never eaten at Commanders on a Friday or Saturday night. We do lunch or brunch.
I caught a couple sets on AXS TV. Brian Adams and Widespread Panic. I turned the Panic set off. I don't know if it was the mix or if they just were terrible.
It looked like a fun event to attend.
...Ryan Adams and the Who were a couple of the big names on the first weekend.
We had to leave Sunday and didn't get to see all the great acts that day, with less crowds - Steve Winwood, Dr. John, Lenny Kravitz, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, the O'Jays and the Meters.
AXS TV is playing some footage for those who can get this channel via their cable/satellite provider.
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