Photos from the NOLA Jazz Fest.

[intheflow]

I'm so proud of them! The best concert photos I've ever taken. :)

And even more amazing because I'm so short--almost all of them were taken by my holding the camera up over my head! :rofl: God, I love the delete-ability of digital!

So you missed the first weekend of the New Orleans Jazz Fest? No worries! Put on your favorite zydeco album and take this virtual tour with my photos!

Day 2 (I couldn't afford to go all three days the first weekend, so skipped the first day.)

The first band I caught was The Iguanas. Don't let the name turn you off, they rocked!



Next up: Walter "Wolfman" Washington. An awesome bluesman! (Calling DUer blue jay... have you played with this guy? He seems right up your alley!)



I spent a good chunk of time eating gator bites and checking out the crafts fair in the middle of that day. Just dug on the ambient music for a while. Then it was time for the headliners--all appearing at the same time. :( We sampled them all, anyway.

Etta James - still looking and sounding hot after all these years.



CJ Chenier. I owned a CJ Chenier CD before I even had a CD player, just because I couldn't find him on cassette. I bought my first CD player because of CJ Chenier. The best damn zydeco artist evah.



Dave Matthews I've seen Dave a bunch of times, but my SO was a Matthews concert virgin... and a big Matthews fan. I bought the tickets to the Jazz Fest as his 44th birthday present.



Also on Day 2:

While I wandered off to check out some crafts, my SO, usedtobesick, got to meet Harry Shearer. We saw Harry later, enjoying a beverage at a little cafe.



Then, when I was taking a long photo of CJ Chenier that didn't come out, this guy in a suit walked through my camera shot. "What dork wears a suit to Jazz Fest?" It turns out that dork was Rod Stewart with some supermodel-type chick.



Day 3

Allen Toussaint and Elvis Costello played together. I admit, I far prefer Toussaint to Costello... and this show reinforced that preference.



For amazing costumes and tight percussion the Carrollton Hunters Mardi Gras Indians cannot be beat! Because they don't have a web site for me to link to, I'll post two of the photos I took of this band.



There were very few women and women-led bands on the roster. Rosie Ledet was the one who zydeco-rocked the hardest, with her wonderful, wonderful band, The Zydeco Playboys.



And of course... the evening ended with Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band singing old spirituals, union tunes, and songs from the Depression Era.



Alas, after Bruce, my lovely two days at my first New Orleans Jazz Fest ended. And I can't afford to go back next weekend. :(
But somehow, I don't think this first jazz Fest will be my last! :)

[JeffR]

1. Damned good pics! But one quibble

And I don't say this lightly, but Elvis Costello is the best songwriter of the past 30 years.

Rant off.

The pic of Chenier is album cover material, IMO.

:applause:

[intheflow]

4. Costello, like Dylan, IS an excellent songwriter.

But, like Dylan, his voice grates on me like parmesan cheese! :P

[usedtobesick]

11. I agree with you about Elvis Costello

I am a huge fan and I loved the music they played here. I thought Elvis and Alan were a great team and loved every song I heard them play. Of course, since I was with intheflow I never did get to see a whole set, we did a lot of running for her to get these pictures... but dudes and dudettes, what a blast!!!!

[Blue_In_AK]

2. Geez, Louise....

I feel famous just because I KNOW you. :rofl: Shaking hands with the president last week, rubbing shoulders with all these great musicians this week ... WOW.

Great photos, my dear. :thumbsup:

[intheflow]

5. Thanks, Blue!

I wish I had shaken hands with Springsteen and had to take photos of Dumbya from over my head because he was so far away! :rofl: I still feel unclean!

[F.Gordon]

3. Ok. I'll ask you one more time

Tell me again what the hell it is you're doing down there?
:rofl:

You've taken more amazin' photos in a few short months than I'll probably take in 10 years.:-( Or, maybe....... never.

I have a lot of catchin' up to do. I already have most of the next four months all planned out. Have some interesting snaparoos I'm going to do. My shutter finger is very itchy.

EXCELLENT photos.
:thumbsup:

[intheflow]

6. You know,

I'm living the cushy life here at Hurricane Camp. Hot dogs, camp fires, the scent of honeysuckle on the air... If only it weren't for trying to stop people getting screwed by FEMA, it really would be a great place! LOL

As it is, I'm burnt out and may be heading home for good in the beginning of June, rather than mid-June as originally planned. I'd leave tomorrow but I have commitments to keep down here. Not complaining, but... I'd sure love to return to zero humidity and life without cockroaches and armadillos and alligators!

BTW, I got some more AMAZING alligator shots. I'll post them one of these days. Found four of them hanging out together one day! :scared:

[CC]

7. Great photos and I would

almost be jealous that you got to go except you more than earned it. Hell, they should give discounts at least to the volunteers.

[intheflow]

8. No discounts for volunteers.

But that's ok. I bought Saturday's tickets for usedtobesick's 44th birthday present back in March. Then, unexpectedly, another long-term volunteer who's independently wealthy, apparently, bought tickets for Sunday for all the rest of the long-termers.

34 long-termers x $30 a ticket = independently wealthy in my book! :rofl:

So anyway, it was kind of like a discount. :) The whole day would have been better, though, if all my photo group friends could have joined us. A Jazz Fest Photo Smackdown! :D

[bvar22]

9. Wish I was there. Love "The Fest"

The avenue is wet and cold and dark...
Rain pours down like it's time for Noah's Ark.
The news is bad, but it always seems to be.
It's even worse when you take it personally.
Midnight's past, it's a hundred years to go,
before the sun returns with the power of its glow.

---Dr John

[Tallison]

10. Damn, Etta James looks good...

So does Bruce's wife, Patty. Rod, on the other hand....

[RagingInMiami]

12. Awesome shots

I would have loved to have been there. I'm sure the music was amazing. Did Rod Stewart perform? I've always liked his music.

[intheflow]

13. No, Rod was

apparently just drinking heavily. It was the end of the day and he seemed pretty toasted to me. But also being harrassed by a "fan" who couldn't understand why Rod might not want to have a long chat with him as he was leaving to go home. I mean, ask the guy for his autograph, then leave him alone, he deserves to have a life of his own. Makes me wonder wtf is wrong with some people? :eyes:

[RagingInMiami]

14. Yeah, I don't understand the obsession with stars

Down here, I've seen quite a number of stars doing their own thing at any given time. I've never even asked for an autograph. Of course, if I have my camera, I will snap their shot, but not stalk them like a paparazzi.

One of the best concerts I've ever seen was Rod Stewart about 15 years ago in Miami. He started kicking a soccer ball back and forth with the audience. Everybody had a blast.

I mostly like his music from the early 1970s. Hot Legs, Maggie May, Stay With Me.

[Blue_In_AK]

15. I prefer Rod from even earlier

when he was with Jeff Beck.