stepping off the edge

Yas, Yas, Yas this was the big week. We made a quick move to a different house because our friend Yvette couldn’t host us for a second week. It worked out perfectly since the new spot was only two short blocks from the streetcar stop and we were in the Quarter. We headed that way more than usual due to the annual French Quarter Festival. It was quite a time, but first we should talk about our favorite mode of transportation while in New Orleans. Not only because it is convenient but also we get to ride with what they call a Jazzy Pass. All day for $.80! It is also a favorite of the locals, so we are riding with all the folks who work the food service, guest service and medical industry. Speaking of which, I could not resist this food service front of house (FOH) server taking a quick break in the sun on the balcony of Brennan’s before the rush. It sums up life in the restaurant world perfectly…

And yes, the streetcars are usually this crowded but still the best way to get around.

Let’s talk about the festival. There are 22 stages with live music from some of the great and soon to be great NOLA musicians. They range from greats like Irma Thomas to a DJ performing with a live violinist! The DJ would cue something up and within second the live musician would jump in perfectly… classic New Orleans. A side note on that, in any club on any night you will see aspiring musicians invited up to sit in. No, it is not the amateur hour. As many times as we have seen this, there has not been a stinker in the mix. Just astounding! It must be the the “lending a hand up” that has passed down through the years, so all the name groups are always ready to help the up and comers… heartwarming.

We started with the Preservation Hall Band, shown in the picture at the top of this post

Then the daughter of a musical legend, Lena Prima. A talent in her own right, not just trading on the name.

Next up was the Dixie Cups with their classic Iko (BTW, there were many we saw in between but it would take the rest of the week to post all the videos!

Finally, because uploading videos is a pain, especially since where I am writing this is as far from internet services as you can get…Florida. Our host claimed fast WiFi… I clocked it at 2.3 MBS….

Here is the great 84 year old wonder woman herself, the queen, Irma Thomas.

By the way, the crowd was way into it… can you tell.

Let’s talk about this crowd. Must have been 40,000 souls at this festival and 10,000 were in the field listening to Irma. We were there four days straight and never witnessed an incident, a cross word, impatience, or anger. This was a magical event by any standard. See people? Is it so hard?

Here you go with the Sweet Potatoes! Love the name, by the way. Another popular local group is the Baked Potatoes!

A taste of Charmaine Neville…

For the last an old favorite, the Pfister Sisters, performing on the Magazine stage.

Well, these little uploads took two days! A very brief sampling but here is the festival schedule so you can appreciate the difficult choices made throughout four days.

Oh, and there was a Jack Daniels stage with several of these little “refreshment stands” positioned around.

And on that note I will say farewell to you and New Orleans. I would definitely consider living here if only God wasn’t always trying to kill these nice folks! Next stop… Panama Beach City.