Okay, now where was I? We started out our Saturday morning with a short walk over to Lucy's for Bloody Marys and planning. Some in our group take issue with short; it's a little further than last year due to Johnny Gumbo's hotel selection. Nevertheless, our discussion turned to the fact that today was the trifecta of Jazz Fest, Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby - certainly cause for celebration. Another short walk to the Quarter to Johnny's on St. Louis Street for a fantastic catfish po-boy before heading out to the Fest. A nod to Mark for picking up my hat, which I had forgotten at the table (of course, he let me walk all the way back to Johnny's first).
Fairgrounds entrance on Gentilly Street under sunny skies and very warm temperatures; she's going to be a scorcher today.
Our first stop is the AIG Gospel tent to hear the Irma Thomas tribute to Mahalia Jackson. You can already see that the crowds are going to be huge at every stage today. The tent is packed, people standing in the aisles, the entrances, outside. We manage to squeeze down one of the aisles half way down the left side of the tent. The heat is stifling and the crowd restless until Thomas is introduced to thunderous applause and starts her show. We listen to three or four inspirational songs (He's got the City of New Orleans in His hands), but we've got several acts of note to catch, so we squeeze back out of the tent and head over to the Allison Minor Music Heritage/ Lagniappe Stage in the Grandstand area, where we find the Plowboys dishing out some mighty tasty Western swing. The crowds are not as big in this out of the way venue, so we easily find Gumbo heard that these guys have been getting some pretty good reviews. Asleep at the Wheel comes to mind. They're good. But we've got work to due. We dash over to the SoCo (Southern Comfort) Blues Tent to catch Snooks Eaglin. The tent was packed and hot as hell, but they have mist sprayers all around, so it's a bit better than the Gospel Tent.
After Snooks, we make our way over to the Acura Stage to find a spot to rest for a bit, on the way stopping for some meat pies, crawfish sack, crawfish pie and cochon de lait po-boy. Also, it's time to start checking out this year's tee shirts. Gastronomically fortified, we find a free spot pretty far back at the Acura Stage where the hard-driving New Orleans funk band Galactic is playing. For their last number, they introduce special guest John Mayer (who is slated to close the day on this stage) and Mayer funks it up pretty hot with the local boys.
People were dancing in all sorts of combinations to Willie Prudhomme & the Zydeco Express.
"HEY, WHO BRINGS IT BETTER THAN THESE GUYS," yells one blocky dude to his equally blocky bud, then again into Gumbo's ear. The Allman Brothers are just commencing their two hour set and our mid-20ish boys are juiced (in many ways). Thirty-four years between sets. I last saw the Allmans with Chris & Kenny at the now-demolished New Haven Coliseum (with the forgettable Grinder Switch) and the boys have been through a few things since then. Of course, Dickie Betts is no longer around, having been kicked out a few years back. The band sounds good, even throwing Van Morrison's Into the Mystic into the playlist. Everyone joins in the chorus of Sweet Melissa. The Allmans' extra long set at the Gentilly Stage allows us to also catch a good part of John Mayer's set over at the Acura, so off we go. On the way to the opposite end of the fairgrounds, we sample John Legend and the Iguanas. The dense crowds don't allow us to get too close as we arrive at the Acura, but the sound is perfect and they have a large screen to the left of the stage. Everyone has been dissing Mayer for being a lightweight, but I caution them about underestimating him. He comes through for me nicely, putting on an awesome display of Clapton-esque guitar licks along with very fine vocals. He seems genuinely humbled about performing here, just prior to his last number relating that he used to peruse the "cubes," hoping someday to get to play at one of the 11am slots, and now getting to close at the biggest stage was the best thing to ever happen. "This is IT for me," he said to the crowd. "I can't thank you enough." Nice way to finish.
But wait, we're not done yet. Over at the Blues Tent we take in a fantastic half-hour of Deacon John. Perfect.
Waiting for a cab outside of Liuzza's by the Track after Saturday's Jazz Fest.
Just outside the fairgrounds exit, a reminder that things haven't changed all that much.
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