The 2nd annual Johnny Gumbo Piano Shirt Friday (it's really an accordion shirt) kicked off with an early morning walk, which was not the greatest idea considering I would be standing/walking for about 6 hours at the Fairgrounds. But logic is apparently not my strong suit, so I travel up Magazine over to St. Charles. Note that the cable cars are back running on St. Charles. Warm, partly cloudy. The forecast is for 50% rain. Better be prepared with cheap, condom-looking plastic rain ponchos like the ones on the album cover of the Pool Hall Studs' classic Where the hell did the gumbo go?.
Back to the room to cleanup, dress and meet at Lucy's Retired Surfer's Bar on Tchoupitoulas for pre-game Bloody Marys. Gumbo and I arrive first and are into our second before the tardy Pool Hall Studs arrive. Out come the cubes to plan the day's music. Gumbo has his cubes all noted:
1:25-2:25pm Jumpin' Johnny Sansone's Harmonica Revue at Southern Comfort Blues Tent
1:55-2:55pm Papa Grows Funk at Acura Stage
2:00-3:00pm John Boutté at WWOZ Jazz Tent
3:30-4:30pm Ingrid Lucia at Allison Miner Music Heritage/Lagniappe Stage
3:50-4:55pm Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave at Congo Square "My Louisiana" Stage
5:40-7:00pm John Prine at Gentilly Stage
Good choices, Gumbo. Very tough call on the John Prine v. Stevie Wonder matchup to finish the day (and that's not even throwing Terrence Blanchard at the Blues Tent into the mix), but I agree with Gumbo. The Studs will opt for Stevie, so we've got it covered. I tell the boys that I MUST catch the John Butler Trio on the recommendation of Garrett, who proclaimed their concert to be the very best he's ever attended. It's agreed that we will abide by the suggestion. Also, I might consider Richard Thompson, who gave a great show back in the 90's at Toad's (Dave H, you remember that one?).
Bloody Marys drained, we walk down to Canal to get our condom rain pouches and cigars (not for me), then call Garland (our personal driver with the chicken/beer) to take us out to the Fairgrounds.
Jumpin' Johnny Sansone's Harmonica Revue
We arrive at the Fairgrounds around 1:30 and get our tickets, all opting to buy three days at once to avoid having to get in line on Saturday and Sunday. We're here! It appears to be very crowded for a Friday. First stop is the SoCo Blues Tent to catch Jumpin' Johnny Sansone's Harmonica Revue, not because we've heard of him, but because it's a great name! The tent is packed; no seats available, but we work our way over to an aisle to the right of the stage and stand. Not a bad view. Well, Jumpin' Johnny is kicking ass up there with his band. I reach for my trusty camera to shoot some video and am told via flashing message that the batteries are exhausted. Great, I go out walking for a couple hours and the batteries have been just sitting in the camera, and THEY are exhausted! And, of course I have about a dozen new batteries in my bag - back at the hotel. Wonderful planning, JK! But not to worry, they have a General Store somewhere in the fairgrounds, so I might have a chance to get some replacements. We stay for the end of Jumpin' Johnny's set and agree that he was a great start to the festival.
good battery hunting
After sampling some file gumbo and assorted other shared Papa Grows Funk lures us to the nearby Acura Stage where they are funking up the place to a large, appreciative audience. I leave the group to search for batteries; we can communicate by texting, but without my glasses I can't read anything. A security volunteer points me in the direction of the General Store and along the way I check out this year's tee-shirts. I will NOT buy the official one again (burned two times already), for they end up too stiff and really not practical. There are some good ones here, though. Note to pick one up. There's the General Store! Five bucks for 4 AA batteries and I'm back in business. I decide to make my way to the Gentilly Stage (2nd largest) for the John Butler Trio. On my way I stop at the Sheraton New Orleans Fais-Do-Do Stage to take in some Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band.
respect, y'all
I make my way to the left side of the stage, wedging into a decent position about 30 yards from the stage. The others are on their way, but it's so crowded we won't hook up. Sound checks completed, the diminutive Butler and his two mates walk out on stage to the roar of this younger crowd. He welcomes everyone and shouts out some respect for the city and it's people - the birthplace of jazz, rock 'n roll, hip-hop, all began here, y'all - respect! And he fires up the crowd with You can be better than that (see video above). Fabulous show! All three members, Butler on guitars, Shannon Birchall on bass and Michael Barker on drums, are powerhouse musicians and the energy of the performance is breathtaking. A guest keyboard player joins them for much of the show. Even when it starts to rain, nothing bothers the enjoyment ("Just a little water, it's all good, y'all").
you are what you are and you ain't what you ain't
We stay at Gentilly for John Prine while the Studs go back to Acura for Stevie Wonder. I'm guessing the crowd at Acura must be immense, because there are far fewer here now than for the Butler show. Prine comes out dressed in black, a bit of A Johnny Cash look, with another electric guitar play to accompany him. Always a big fan, I've never heard him in concert so I'm excited for the opportunity. We are able to get a good vantage point again and settle in for some wonderful entertainment. Prine is a storyteller, a philosopher, reminds us of early Dylan, not much range in his voice, but so expressive. Loved the Bonnie Raitt hit Angel From Montgomery, the humorous Dear Abby, the poignant Sam Stone. Again, a great show. We agree that every act we saw was a winner today. We exit to the bar just outside the Gentilly exit and wait for the Studs, who arrive in a bit to say Stevie, after a slow start, put on a great show. A call to Garland and we're on our way back to the hotel filling ourselves with fried chicken wings.
Herbsaint
A quick freshen up/change and we grab a cab out to Herbsaint on St. Charles St. for dinner. We dine at the small bar, where Diane from Frisco tells me of a jazz mass I should try this Sunday. Excellent Redfish special. That's all for me, folks. Garland drops me at the hotel (it's midnight by now), on the way to drop Gumbo and the Pool Hall Studs at Frenchmans Street.
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