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Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New Orleans is not well, but it’s alive. The success of the Voodoo Music Experience is proof.
An approximate 95,000 spectators attended this weekend’s two-day music festival at City Park, an area hit hard by Hurricane Katrina last August. The most generous of estimates have the New Orleans population at 200,000.
From the Rebirth Brass Band to the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Juvenile, Voodoo featured a diverse line-up of more than 60 bands on six stages. Fleur de lis trinkets were a hot item among vendors, and a Reggie Bush jersey was the preferred outfit. The drink of choice: Appropriately, hurricanes, served in foot-long plastic cylinders.
Duran Duran closed the concert’s main stage on Sunday with their endless array of pop hits. The British pretty boys had some big-haired ladies in tears and sent others to the restrooms.
Meanwhile, the real New Orleans party was happening at the Preservation Hall tent, where the soulful and flamboyant Wild Magnolias had fans dancing on top of benches.
“No where else in the world that I know of could a music festival with this amount of diversity be this successful,” said Ben Jaffe, a representative of Preservation Hall.
“The people of the city appreciate it more now,” said lead Magnolia Bo Dollis Jr., as he removed his nearly eight-foot tall, bright pink-feathered headdress. “There was a lot of emotion out there tonight.”
The emotion of a devastated city’s perseverance could be felt at every stage. The dazzling Flaming Lips, who also were slated to play at the 2005 Voodoo festival, apologized for not making it to last year’s makeshift event. Last October, just two months after Katrina landed, organizers pieced together a free event for city residents and relief workers.
“We’re sorry,” Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne told the crowd. “We just didn’t think it would be possible.”
Approximately, 25,000 fans attended last year’s show, which was held at the less-affected Audubon Park and headlined by Cowboy Mouth. The boisterous and honest local rock band was the last act to leave the stage on Sunday.
The Lips more than made up for their mistake by treating fans to their unique visual and musical spectacle, complete with dancing Santa Clauses, confetti and ridiculously large balloons that bonked off delighted heads throughout the audience.
It was an especially emotional day for members of the Hot 8 Brass Band. The majority of the band was back playing together in New Orleans for the first time since Katrina. But they sorely missed one of their key members, lead trumpet Terrell Batiste.
The 22-year-old Batiste, who now lives in Atlanta, had his legs severed last April when he was struck by a car while fixing a flat tire on northbound I-85.
“We’re hoping he’s going to be back with us soon,” said Hot 8 trombonist Jerome James. “We miss him. He’s still our lead trumpet player.”
James said the band is organizing a benefit concert for Batiste in Atlanta around Nov. 19, the Sunday the New Orleans Saints play the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The venue and time has not yet been secured.
Marcee Rondan, one of Voodoo’s organizers, was overwhelmed with the event’s success and bragged about the smile on her face. But she wasn’t the only one smiling. New Orleans residents, current and former, as well as some out of towners were all having a good time when the Wild Magnolia’s capped off their set with “Did you have some fun tonight?”
Of course they did, said Dollis Jr.
“We’ve traveled all over and heard all kinds of music,” he said. “But there’s just ain’t nothin’ like New Orleans music.”
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