Saturday’s trip to the Jazz Fest was a great time. I started the morning early, parking near a friends house on Ursuline St. The plan was to have a light breakfast and mimosas with some old friends. The mimosas turned into Champagne without orange juice and I wasn’t in the mood to eat at the time. Four glasses of champagne, on an empty stomach, and an hour of delightful conversation later I was ready to head to the Fairgrounds.
I was prepared for the $50 gate priced ticket when a man walking next to me asked if I wanted to purchase a ticket from him for $43 dollars. People were looking at him suspiciously as if he were some kind of ticket hustler, I saw the ticket and knew it was for real. I bought the ticket at $43 thinking thats good for a beer or a Cochon De Lait po-boy. Talking with the man and his wife we exchanged our Katrina story and made small talk. It turns out that we had a common friend someone who used to work with me but now worked at the same place he did. I thought to myself “what a small town”. I would run into the couple later in the SOCO Blues tent and watch Carol Fran. It’s amazing how easy it is to make friends in this town.
So I’m inside the gate for headed for the food, I needed some crawfish bread to wash down the champagne. Before I get get there someone shout Chris, it’s been a long time. Already I connected with someone I know. I had not seen A. since before the storm, we spent a few minutes catching up, she told me they were camped in their usual place near the Acura stage, you know where we always are. I told her I would try to find them a little later. Easier said than done in spite of my efforts I did not see them again that day. It’s easy to lose people out there, I remember some years when I couldn’t even find the people that I rode with.
Got the crawfish bread it soaked up the champagne and I was ready for a beer and some music. Started out at the Fais Do Do stage listening to Jeremy and the Hot Boyz. I had never seen them before, they were pretty good, they have there own little twist to Zydeco music. They are also young I would not be surprised it they get a lot better in the years to come.
Other acts I caught were John Cleary, he put on a great show, Walter Wolfman Washington, and of course Dr. John. Wolfman Washington put on a good show, I had to laugh when he started playing his guitar with his teeth, I remember Wolfman when he had no teeth. The rain was steady at two o’clock, by three it was pouring. I almost missed the first song of Dr. John’s set they started his act a little bit early. Dr. John was good, between the first and second song of his set he proclaimed, “I know yall’s wet” and he was right. The rain didn’t seem to send anyone home early the crowd was still thick. After Dr. J. I headed out thoroughly satisfied that my $43 dollars had been well worth it. Sorry B.J. I just didn’t care to stick around for your show, for the most part I stuck with the local acts.
