For the 2011 edition of our Fall Music Festival Trip, Bird and I, accompanied by my brother-in-law Jack, chose to hit Voodoo Experience (commonly referred to as "Voodoo Fest" by the locals) in New Orleans, Louisiana. Held annually at City Park on Halloween Weekend; the three day festival covers a broad range of genres stretching from classic New Orleans Jazz at the Preservation Hall Stage to all electronic shows at the Le Pleur Stage, and of course a series of both up and coming and established hit makers on the main stage (Le Ritual) and two other stages featuring a variety of local and touring bands. This year the dates fell perfectly with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday being the festival dates, and Monday being Halloween; it was destined to be an epic weekend!
Some pre-ritual coffee and beignets
Compared to other festivals we've been to I would say that Voodoo Fest was well set up in the fact that they had a wonderful trolley system to get you to City Park, and a fleet of city buses to get everyone back to Bourbon Street after the shows had concluded at night. City Park itself is also very well designed for holding these kinds of events which was very nice. And finally there was the food. Hands down the best festival food of any festival we've been to. I gorged myself on crawfish etouffee, bread pudding with white chocolate sauce, and (freaky though it may sound) fried pickles that were positively addictive. And I would be completely remiss if I failed to mention our morning beignets, not a morning passed that we did not break our hangovers by having a trio of those delicious pasteries as well as a cup of stiff coffee at Cafe Beignet. I now understand why they have become such a signature dish for the city of New Orleans.
The Lineup
A-Trak, Achachay, Ani Defranco with Ivan Neville and Herlin Riley, Band of Horses, Bangerz, Blind Pilot, Blink-182, Bobby Rush, Bonerama, Boots Electric, Carmine P Filty, Cassy, Cheap Trick, Cheeky Blakk, City and Colour, Civil Twilight, Claude Vonstroke, Christoph Andersson, Daedelus, Dangermuffin, Danny Howells, Dave Malone, Del McCoury Band, Dirty South, Dr John, Fatboy Slim, Fishbone,
Fitz and the Tantrums, Fleur de Tease, Fort Knox Five, Girl Talk, Givers, Gordon Gano, Happy Talk Band, Higher Ground Drifters, Honey Island Swamp Band, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Iris May Tango, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Jackmaster, Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, Katey Red, Keller Williams, King Britt, King James, Kreashawn, Kyle Turley, Lee Burridge, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Ma Maison with Trey Mcintyre Project and Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Major Lazer, Mastodon, Mates of State, Maya Jane Coles, Members of Morphine and Jeremy Lyons, Mike Relm, Miracle At, Mission Rail Co, Morning 40 Federation, My Chemical Romance, Mynameisjohnmichael, Natalie Mae and Her Unturned Tricks, Noisician Coalition, Odd Future, Ozomatli, Palmetto Bug Stompers, Peelander Z, Portugal. the Man, Quickie Mart, R Scully, Ray Davies, Red Baraat, Rotary Downs, Snoop Dogg, Social Distortion, Soul Rebels Brass Band, Soundgarden, Star Eyes, Steve Angello, Swiss Chriss, Tanner Ross, The Limousines, The New Orleans Bingo Show, The One AM Radio, The Original Meters, The Raconteurs, The Revivalists, The Sheep Dogs, The Static Jacks, The Stone Foxes, The Vettes, The Wombats, Three, Tony Skratchere, TV on the Radio, Voices of Black, Wolf + Lamb Experience, X, Z-Trip
Day 1
Force Feed Radio
We were excited to get our festival experience going and showed up extra early. We made a lap around City Park and got the lay of the land. This was going to be an easy festival to get around as that 3 of the 5 stages were very close to one another. We bought some beers and sat down to listen to Force Feed Radio at the electronic stage. I enjoy electronic music, and can appreciate the skill involved, but I'm not really into it enough to really discuss it intelligently, so I'll just say that it was enjoyable.
The Static Jacks
The first act that we really wanted to see was The Static Jacks. I had heard good things about them, and their studio stuff sounded good. I had expected them to be more punk for some reason, but they had a lot more 80's new wave influence which was very cool. It was a solid, energetic set. This being Halloween weekend and all, some of the bands wore costumes on stage as well, The Static Jacks came dressed as the Dead Rabbit Gang (depicted in the movie Gangs of New York). Cool choice.
From there we went to the next stage and checked out local jazz/funk band Fleur Debris quickly, then over to see the Wombats briefly before heading over to the main stage to see the tail end of Blind Pilot. Blind Pilot wasn't bad, a slow, warm, folksy sound was touching but maybe was misplaced as a main stage act. A more intimate stage would have been a better showcase for them.
Peelander Z
What Blind Pilot lacked in tempo was easily made up for by performance rockers, Peelander Z! This may not be a band that translates well into the studio, but they are definitely a band to experience. The energy they give off hits you like a tsunami! It's hard to describe the show of a group of punk/Japanese/cartoon/superheros, it's just something you've got to see. There was a stoppage in the show for a baseball break, Peelander Red sporting a sea monster costume, crowd surfing. . . crowd limboing. Insane, that shit was just insane! While probably not the best show musically, it was without a doubt one of the most fun shows I've ever been to. As Peelander Yellow described it, "We no play music. . . we play with all of you!"
From there we went over to the Preservation Hall Tent to see members of the band Morphine playing with Jeremy Lyons and calling themselves The Ever Expanding Elastic Waist Band. A very cool show, which was really a study in bass instruments, Lyons playing a 2 stringed bass guitar, Dana Colley playing a baritone sax, and Billy Conway on drums. It was a funky, jazzy sound that had a great groove to it.
We then made our way back to the main stage to see the night's headliners, beginning with Band of Horses. Funny thing about Band of Horses is that I've heard their music and I've heard that they are a good performing band, and those two thoughts always seemed incongruous to me. Whenever I listened to their music I just kind of assumed that they would be rather mediocre live, despite all reports to the contrary. Clearly my assumption was wrong (as assumptions often are). This was in fact a very good show, I was surprised at just how much Ben Bridwell smoked on stage though. It was Mellencampesque.
My Chemical Romance
Next up was My Chemical Romance. Now here was a show that was meant to be on a BIG stage! Gerard Way has a bombastic, theatric, and energetic stage presence. The band came out clad as characters from Camelot and began to thunder away. MCR's fusion of punk, glam, and prog rock translated very well to their live act and I thoroughly enjoyed their set.
Chris Cornell of Soundgarden
The final act of day 1 of Voodoo Fest was a band that I had been hoping to see since I was in high school, Soundgarden. I was excited last year to hear that the group would be reuniting and releasing a new album and clearly I wasn't the only one. When Soundgarden took the stage for the much anticipated set the crowd was electric! Even though they had a new album out, the band chose not to bog down their set with too much new music and instead opted to play classic hit, after classic hit, which nobody seemed to begrudge them. Chris Cornell was interesting in his interactions with the crowd, mentioning that this was his first trip to New Orleans that he actually remembers (since his recovery from drug and alcohol addiction) and told a story about New Orleans Police arresting their guitarist on the band's last trip to the Big Easy for a "tiny little bag of weed". Musically the band sounded sharp and Cornell's gutsy wailing hasn't lost a note. The light and stage production for Soundgarden was the best of the weekend as well. All in all it was a grunge kid's dream come true.
Day 2
We got to the festival a little later on the second day. I was geeked out on seeing Boots Electric and we showed up about an hour before they were to take the stage. We filled our time by getting some lemonade and watching Soul Rebels Brass Band, a fantastic New Orleans Jazz/rock/funk ensemble. Afterwords we got some food and found a nice spot in the grass by the main stage to see Boots Electric. The master plan for Day 2 was to camp out by the main stage because the lineup there looked so solid.
Boots Electric
For as high as I was on Boots Electric, I have to say that they were a real disappointment. They have an awesome studio album, but to say that it didn't translate to a live show would understate things. I will give lead singer, Jesse Hughes, some credit for having an entertaining onstage persona, but musically they sounded nothing like their studio stuff. I was expecting something funkier, something a little more Parliamentesque, and instead got some jangle rock fluff. They also, clearly didn't have enough original material, as indicated by the loooong pauses for dialogue in between songs.
Mastodon
Next up on the main stage, it was time to let the testosterone flow with prog metal monsters, Mastodon. I'm hot and cold when it comes to metal bands, but I'll tell you what, Mastodon has some serious talent. Every song seemed to have at least one of the band members diverge off into some ridiculously crafted, and technical solo, but they did a wonderful job of blending the solos into the rest of the song so it sounded seamless, not like some mid 80's hair band pompastic bullshit. I know that straight up metal isn't everyone's bag of tea, but if you like metal than you're sure to like Mastodon. The crowd at Mastodon was really into it as well, albeit a smaller crowd than I would have expected.
Social Distortion
We ducked out of Mastodon a little early to get some dinner (and to get me some more fried pickles which I couldn't stop eating all weekend long). Then we returned to the main stage for some Social Distortion. I've been a fan of Social D for a long time and they were one of the bands that had got me the most excited when I first saw the festival lineup. Having now seen them live I will say that Social D is a solid live show, not fantastic, but if you are a fan of their music, as I am, than you will not be disappointed.
Snoop Dogg
One act that I was intrigued in seeing was Kreashawn. The Oakland native writes and produces her own music as well as directs her own music videos. She's become a self made YouTube sensation, which has garnered her a major label deal. So I was curious to see what this do-it-yourselfer was all about. And frankly, she's not for me. Kreashawn had gotten her hooks into me with her hit, "Guchi Guchi" but the rest of her stuff was pure crap. We bailed early to head back to the main stage.
Though, apparently, we didn't bail out early enough because we didn't really get the best spot to see Snoop Dogg. But we weren't too bad and the crowd was really fun. I expected to have a good time seeing Snoop, but I didn't know that he would be THAT good of a live act! Great fan interaction, hot dancers, some great local rap talent joining him on stage. The Doggfather still knows how to put on a killer set!
New Orleans Bingo Parlor
We had decided to take in one of the headlining acts other than the main stage act on this night. Consequently we left the main stage before Blink 182 was set to perform and made our way over to see a show called New Orleans Bingo Parlor, at the stage which was named after them. What a unique experience! The Bingo Parlor is an interactive rock, and cabaret show (if that narrows things down at all for you). The show is kind of like rock and roll vaudeville; featuring comedy routines, cabaret dancers, and of course Bingo! Fun. . . Just good fun.
Day 3
Fishbone
The final day of Voodoo Experience really centered around three bands: Fishbone, Dr. John, and The Raconteurs; and everything else was gravy.
Fishbone
The day began with Fishbone, which was without a doubt one of the most off the hook shows I've ever seen! They had an immeasurable exuberance on stage, and a crowd that was totally crazy. Dr Madd Vibe (Angelo Moore) was an unstoppable ball of energy; cartwheeling, stage diving, mosh pitting, along with singing, playing a mean bass sax, and rocking out on the theremin (a strange electronic instrument which changes pitches based upon the proximity of the player's hands to the instrument's sensors). To tell you the truth, ska music doesn't make onto my iPod often enough, but I LOVE attending ska shows. There is nothing like the crowd at a good ska show!
Dr John
From Fishbone, we rushed straight away over to see New Orleans rock legend, Dr John and the Lower 911. It was a great opportunity to see Dr John, fresh off of his induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and it was made especially cool by the who's who of New Orleans greats that showed up to jam with him on stage. Grammy winning singer Irma Thomas was there, as was blues guitar great, Walter "the Wolfman" Washington, as well as Cyril Neville (best known for his work with The Meters). But the man of the hour was the Night Tripper himself, Dr John, who tore through a set of sizzling, swampy, funky blues. This is the kind of show you make sure to see not just because it's music from a master of his craft, but also because it's honestly a huge privilege to get to see the man himself. Thank you Dr John.
Portugal. The Man
After opening the day with those two amazing acts I was content to just bumble around to different stages to just browse what sounds were out there. The band that I gravitated towards was Portugal. The Man. As much as anything else I was interested to see how the band from my home of Anchorage (Portugal. The Man hails from Wasilla, AK) would be received by the New Orleans crowd. I was pleasantly surprised as they drew a large and excited crowd. I was equally impressed by the live showing by the band themselves. Their studio album would lead one to assume they are a laid back jam band, but live they are actually a solid rock band. A really great band that I'm looking forward to seeing soon.
It was inevitable that with such a strong start to the day, somebody was going to step up and completely underwhelm the crowd. That band, unfortunately, was TV on the Radio. I don't really begrudge TVOTR and I don't wanto to say that they were bad, but the truth is that they were really not a memorable act in comparison to the other bands of the day.
We left TV on the Radio early to catch a little bit of rock veterans, Cheap Trick. We really didn't stay long in part because frankly, Cheap Trick came off like a band that has spent the last three decades milking their previous success. It was very disappointing. Judging by the crowd, it was clear that some people had come to this day of the festival specifically to see this band, and I'm sure that those people were not let down, but for a casual music fan like me I would have been far better off downloading Live at Budokan and calling it a day.
Jack White of the Raconteurs
A couple of let downs didn't dampen our spirits much because the best was yet to come. The best by far! The Raconteurs were the most talented band I've seen in a very long time, and I have an entirely new found respect for Jack White. He is without a doubt the most talented guitarist of his generation. The Raconteur's set ran the gamut between blistering rock, to outlaw country and slithering blues; this band really does have it all. It's great to see an amazing talent like Jack White, who is at the prime of his abilities, able to pick and choose the finest musicians to play with. This was an absolutely amazing band and a true pleasure to see. Jack White is my new guitar hero!
The Playlist
1) Welcome to the Black Parade My Chemical Romance
2) I Want You to Want Me Cheap Trick
3) Right Place, Wrong Time Dr John
4) Story of My Life Social Distortion
5) The Rockafeller Skank Fatboy Slim
6) Outshined Soundgarden
7) Into the Sun The Static Jacks
8) Pulled Over the Car The Ever Expanding Elastic Waist Band
9) Gin and Juice Snoop Dogg
10) People Say Portugal. The Man
11) Gucci Gucci Kreashawn
12) Laredo Band of Horses
13) Everyday Sunshine Fishbone
14) Mad Tiger Peelander Z
15) Money Grabber Fitz and the Tantrums
16) Are You Ready? Soul Rebels Brass Band
17) Cissy Strut The Meters
18) Salute Your Solution The Raconteurs
19) The Wolf is Loose Mastodon
20) Boots Electric Theme Boots Electric
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