NOLA Jazz Festival

In planning our trip we discovered that we were going to be near New Orleans during the Jazz Festival.  I have no clue what this is but Randy is really excited telling me that he's always wanted to go.  After googling it and reading about it, we redesigned our entire route to arrive in New Orleans in time for the second weekend of the festival. 

According to the website, the New Orleans Jazz Festival is an eight day festival that spans over two weekends and has been around for 40 years.  Sounds like an adventure made for us!

Our, New Orleans hosts Patrick and Stacie Ireland join us on this adventure guiding us to the festival via car, trolley and bus.

We ended up on the bus which was the cheapest and easiest way to arrive.   It's great to have "locals" get us around town.  The bus drops us off right at the Festival or so I thought - we still had to walk about a mile to the entrance.  The Festival is at the fairgrounds and horse racing track and is huge!  This is much bigger than I expected. 

We wind our way through the security and ticket lines and  pass the Gospel Tent and enjoy a rousing sermon and some southern gospel music.  I think this is a good way to start the day.   We land at a huge map and begin plotting our day.

We had a light breakfast because we had heard all about the food court and we are ready to eat lunch. We hit the first food court and to get our bearings. There are at least 20 foods booths filled with creole and cajun specialities.  So much food to choose from that it's hard to select.  We all debate the merits of each booth, and we all want something different.  We split up and meet back with plates filled with New Orleans specialties. I end up with a stuffed artichoke and a fried oyster spinach salad; Stacie has a fried crawfish po'boy;  Randy & Patrick have the Sample Plate with a biscuit covered in crawfish sauce, crawfish fritters and a crawish money bags.  Everyone standing around us is eating something different and it all looks amazing!  Our food is yummy and all very New Orleans.  

We head over to the Blues Tent and listen to Joe Krown Trio featuring Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Russell Batiste Jr. who are excellent!  This is the biggest tent I've ever been in and it is packed to gills with people.  There isn't anywhere to sit - no where!! So we settle in the very back on the ground and chill out.  Although everyone keeps telling us that the weather is fabulous, I think it's hot and humid and the crowds aren't helping.  After an hour or so of chilling to a rocking band we venture out to the main stage.  Excited because we're going to see Bruce Springsteen!

We arrive and the main stage is PACKED and we walk, and walk, and walk and walk, finally squeezing in our chairs in the very last row of the racetrack.  All around us everyone keeps telling us that it's never this crowded. Patrick & Randy leave us to find something cold to drink and Stacie and I hold down our chairs.  

While waiting for the concert, people just keep coming and there is no where to sit.  The guy next to me is from Wales and he's been to several Jazz Fests and is shocked at the crowd.  This event brings in people from all over the world!  

Even though we can barely see the stage, we're OK, it's the Boss and we have binoculars.

We hang out in the sweltering sun for over an hour and the concert starts!  Yahoo...but right at the same time the wind picks up and we can't hear ANYTHING!  Seriously, the wind is taking the sound away from us.  All that time waiting and NOTHING!  We all look at each other and start laughing...time to move on and find another artist to listen to.

Walking back through the Festival we do enjoy a little of Bruce.  We check out several other stages and walk the entire grounds.  This place is HUGE, I can't say it enough. HUGE!  

We head over back over to the Blues Tent to listen to Johnny Winter.  He's a fabulous blues artist who was famous in the late 1960-1970's.  Going to listen to him  was the best decision as that man can still Rock!  He's 70 years young and plays a mean electric guitar.  His band was amazing.   Plus the tent is shaded and has misters.  We loved it!

This was the biggest event we've ever been too.  At least 125,000 people in attendance and I believe at least 90% all came to see Bruce Springsteen.  It was pretty well organized, lines everywhere but tons of food, drinks and bathrooms so you never really waited very long in line.  The NOLA Jazz organizers know how to do this!  

Now that we've experienced the Jazz Festival we know exactly how to roll.  Take the bus; cheapest and easiest way to get there. Get there early right as the gates open and go directly to the main stage and stake out your spot.  Go with a group and rotate jobs...yes jobs.  One person has to be responsible for blanket watch; two others responsible for food and beverages.  The last person rotates in with the positions so that everyone can cruise the stages and still have a seat for the headliner.  If we go again, we now have the system down.   

Even with the crowds and the heat, the event is something to experience and I'm really glad we went.  We're on the trip of our life and we just enjoyed the event of a lifetime!   Rock on!