Jazz Fest - what an experience!

Wow - how much fun was that? Now, we were only there for a single day, but it was outstanding.  To start, the weather was perfect - I'm not kidding - perfect. Nice breeze, sunny, with occasional clouds, and dry  - unlike last weekend's mud fest. We rode the shuttle in which was super convenient - easy quick trip, no hassles, all organized and well done. The place is huge. Now I've seen the map, but until you walk it, you just don't get it. It was easy to get turned around, but there were several convenient maps around the festival. 

There was more food than it was possible for me to believe. Had beignets and looked like a total pig doing it, but they were good. MotH had a crawfish sausage and beignets. The Boy drank lots of orange crush and snagged a beignet (he also looked like a pig). There was too much canned Miller Light for me, but we had a couple of beers - many people had LOTS more... Seems if you buy several beers at once and tip well, the beer vendors will give them to you in a box with ice - therefore, once you're settled, you don't have to go anywhere (except the port o potty - eeeww). 
We travelled through the whole place and stopped at different tents - boy the gospel tent was rocking, and so was the blues tent - too much fun. I really want to know how many people were there - was it was crowded?... esp for a Thursday? I'm curious. It was just pure craziness and every type of person you could imagine - most w/tattoos. Now there were some strange ones there - the guy in the mini skirt w/the white lacy undies I could have done w/out. Also, guy wearing apparently only a long towel-like thing...sad. 

After wondering around, we settled in at the Gentilly stage for Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers. I was expecting some nice picking and some good bluegrass, so it was a great bit of fun when they totally rocked it out (in a bluegrass way). Plus it was more like a comedy bluegrass show. Martin was his usual goofy self between songs and even in songs - a song for atheists - so amazingly funny. Martin cannot sing, but the Steep Canyon Rangers harmony were just so sweet. They closed with Orange Blossom Special - great great and even better, something I thought about, but never thought would really happen. King Tut. The Boy just stood there, like, huh? Growing up in the 70s did have some perks - even if they are goofy perks. It was a hoot. 

Then Elvis was on. One of the two remaining people I wanted to see live, and I finally did it - with MotH and the Boy in tow.  It was Elvis Costello and the Sugarcanes, so I knew it wouldn't be my Elvis - you know from 1977 - until about 1996, but I figured there had to be some big ones - I mean, it's Elvis after all. Well, I wasn't disappointed. Alison, New Amsterdam, Blame it on Cain, America without Tears, Everyday I Write the Book, and closing with the perennial Peace, Love, and Understanding. He did a great cover of Femme Fatale by the Velvet Underground and a cover of the Rolling Stones' Happy. Would I have liked more of my Elvis, of course, but it was still worth it. 
All in all - great time. To top it off. When we left this morning it was humid and drizzly - ugh - that would not be fun at Jazz Fest, so it seems we really got lucky. Cool. 
Am looking forward to going again next year.  
Photo credits: Elvis Costello & From Gentilly Stage - David Grunfeld, The Times Picayune; Steve Martin - Susan Poag, The Times Picayune