somehow 2010 slipped by without a visit to the bayou, but that kinda miss just makes the return that much sweeter.
the advance team rolled into town on wednesday night and got right to work. we dropped our stuff in the warehouse district and blitzed right over to the Howlin' Wolf. game on. didn't catch the name of the band that was playing when we first arrived but pleasantly surprised to learn that the 2am show was Garage a Trois. stanton moore and skerik we're festively clad in their cinco de mayo finest, and their jazz-funk-fusion did ring in the morn.
clear blue skies greeted us at the fairgrounds in the AM as me and the rest of the passionate sheet runners gathered at the gate. it's key to be situated around the entrance by 10am so that when they spring the fence at 10:30 you're on your way.
the trend toward pushing back where chairs/flags can throw down continued this year and so we wound up staking down stage left about even with the sound stage. and when brother stanford showed up right near us, we knew we were in the right spot.
johnny sketch and lucinda williams carried the early part of the day and paved the way for galactic and wilco to blow things up later. all of this made new comer agent o'shea feel right at home...
reinforcements joined us throughout the evening, and by the time we got to the 2am karl denson show at Tips, the krewe was strong. lontz especially had his lean on that night, and his acrobatics are now firmly part of jazz fest lore.
[picture removed to protect the guilty]
friday served up another glorious day, and the morning sprint to our spot was well rewarded...
the band We Landed on the Moon was a nice early surprise and Better Than Ezra led the way in the afternoon. but it was Arcade Fire that ruled the day. the group came in with much hype fresh off their recent grammy, and they more than showed that they are worthy. and when cyndi lauper came out to lead her 80s pop hit, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," more than the arcade was on fire...
we road the euphoria of the fire show straight into the Radiators final peformance at Tipitinas. this legendary krewe went out in style, and our posse was pleased...
saturuday dealt another spectacular day, and we had the routine dialed.
saturday at the fest always has an electric vibe to it. the crowds swarm early and often and by mid-day, the place is a hoppin'. team bojon was right in the mix all day long and loving it...
and any time young curious gets a bossom ride, life is good...
marcia ball got the soul rolling and then the voice of the wetlands all-stars took it to another level. this collective consists of a cadre of bayou legends including, tab benoit, anders osborne, cyril neville, george porter, and big cheif monk boudreaux. their groove is tight, and their enthusiasm for being together on stage is infectious.
allen toussaint followed and ripped it as well. good vibes were everywhere, and everysun had a smile on their face...
jimmy buffet closed out the day and very much did his thing. the parrot heads were pleased, and we made the most of our time in margaritaville.
a killer group dinner that night led into a sizziln' 2am performance at the house of blues by New Masters of Sound. we literally had to drag ourselves out of there at 5am to head to the airport and back to "reality."
not much more to say. we bookended this puppy the way the manual instructs.
here are a few more shots from the field:
sf giants in the house...
bojon gamefaces on...
kd in tow for the traditional shot...
raining sunshine...
the duncan clan well represented...
camp counselor present...
remember that one show...
late night at the HOB...
kinda like disney land...
parrotheads rejoice...
back where we were...
already looking forward to next time...
