|
|||||
| basement tapes | concert reviews | cd reviews | interviews | ticket swap | Pollstar news |
 The Who |
 Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett |
|
Review and photos by Mary Andrews The first weekend of Jazz Fest needs to be renamed Mud Fest this year. Lightning caused an early closure of the renowned fest on Friday. Keith Urban bravely ended the festival with imminent rain and lightning threatening the huge crowd. Even though, his set was shortened by the storm, he did not give up without a fight. Before they closed down the stages Urban had made his way through what was left of the crowd toward the soundboard. By six p.m. the producers stopped the show for the day.Urban's presence was an all day affair at the festival. He had an intimate interview with Keith Spera at the Alison Minor Stage. His charm infatuated a packed crowd, but this will be covered in another article coming soon to ConcertLivewire. Earlier in the day, 'Jumpin' Johnny Sansone opened the Acura stage with his blazing harmonica and heavy handed Southern blues vocals. Johnny is always a welcome sight and a great way to open. Mia Borders was across the fairgrounds giving a searing performance of her rock- oriented soul music. She urged the crowd to meet her at the merchandise and bring her a cochon de lait po-boy. "I may be small on the outside, but I'm huge on the inside!' Indie band Royal Teeth preceded Hozier at Gentilly Stage and got the younger crowd ready for the newest pop sensation. Hozier seemed overwhelmed by the crowd he fronted, but gave a stellar set regardless of nerves. Tedeschi Trucks Band gave one their best sets to date. As Quint Davis said, "This is the biggest, nastiest band in America." They have played Jazz Fest many times, but this was the first time at Acura and they did it proud. It rained all day on Saturday. However, that did not deter the festival goers. Record numbers of fans flocked to see The Who and John Legend on Saturday. The largest crowd ever stood in the mud all day Sunday at the Gentilly Stage to see Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. The Congo stage saw massive crowds to see Pitbull while 'Parrotheads' endured the mud for Jimmy Buffett. The rain was continuous Saturday until 5:30 p.m. Many people moved into the blues, gospel and jazz tents to get relief. Ivan Neville's Dumpstafunk played to the crowd gathering in anticipation for The Who at the end of the day. They are a family affair with Ivan, Ian and Art Neville in the group and they are one of the tightest funk bands from New Orleans. Cassandra Wilson brought the spirit of Billie Holiday to the WOOZ Jazz tent. Wilson is celebrating her new album release "Coming Forth By Day" at Jazz Fest. Wilson provided her unique interpretation of the rich Billie Holiday catalog. She has a seductive manner of delivery that is infectious, but some of the charisma is lost in the milieu of the Jazz tent. The legendary Who were the most anticipated band of the first weekend. In their heyday, they were one of the most important bands from the British Invasion. Their guitar smashing antics on and off the stage were legendary. Their music has been kept alive most notably by the CSI television shows. They brought their 50th anniversary tour celebration to Jazz Fest this year. Songs off the set list include "I Can't Explain" and "The Seeker" kicking things off, "Who Are You," "Behind Blue Eyes," "My Generation," all concluded with Townshend's signature guitar windmills and the sweet bombast of "Won't Get Fooled Again." Across the fairgrounds, John Legend gave a rousing set to a huge throng of fans. He provided a very intimate set for such a large crowd. He spoke of his early days in show business. Talked of how Kanye West gave him one of his first big breaks in the music business. It was sweet and personable. As the sun came from behind the clouds, Legend dedicated the Simon & Garfunkel hit "Bridge Over Troubled Water" to his late grandmother, who taught him piano and gospel music as a child. Ryan Adams drew a medium sized crowd of faithful fans at the Gentilly Stage. He decorated his stage with oversized speaker cabinets, a vintage Dr. Pepper dispenser, Asteroid and Berzerk arcade games, and a stuffed tiger. His set included material from his latest album release as well as his catalog of 14 albums. He finished his set a bit earlier than anticipated that left him ample time to chat with the audience. It was roadhouse rock at its best. Sunday was a day largely spent standing in the mud and waiting with masses of Lady Gaga fans (or Little Monsters as she calls them) for their hero. This was a young crowd. When I mentioned to some of them that this was not going to be a typical Lady Gaga show, the response was that they did not care. The theme of Gentilly Stage for the day was big band, classic music except for John Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen. This is a funk and R&B band from New Orleans. Next up was the Irwin Mayfield Orchestra featuring the amazing jazz vocals of Dee Dee Bridgewater. Ms. Bridgewater has a great musical legacy as a jazz vocalist and still has the clops to prove it. Allen Toussaint and his orchestra was the last act before Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. Mr. Toussaint entered the stage in grand style as usual decked out in a jacket filled with more green sequins that probablymade Lady Gaga a little envious. He is a songwriting legend of the '70s and he performed many of those tunes during the set. Finally, the stage was set for the day's headliners, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. A taped introduction by Frank Sinatra introduced Tony Bennett as his favorite singer. Bennett's band was augmented by a significant sized orchestra. The entrance brought a huge round of applause from the crowd. The Great American Songbook was the material covered during the show. Songs like "Anything Goes", "Cheek to Cheek" and "Sing, You Sinners," among others were performed. Bennett and Gaga took turns singing solo and performed many songs together. Lady Gaga did not do her usual stage antics, but she was very flirtatious and campy at times. There were approximately eight costume changes during the show. Tony Bennett looked and sounded great. He seemed to be Gaga's "straight man." Lady Gaga's voice was stellar. She can probably sing any kind of music. As for the crowd, the 'kids' knew all the lyrics and were singing along. They were in heaven and it was worth standing in the mud to see Lady Gaga. Over on the Congo stage, Pitbull was 'killing it,' It was almost impossible to wade through the crowd to see him. Everyone was having the time of their lives including Pitbull. The Miami rapper was all over the stage jumping on the drum stand, moving from side to side like a kangaroo and swinging with his dancers. His energy infected the whole crowd and it was a glorious end to the first weekend of New Orleans Jazz Fest! |
 Ryan Adams |
 Hozier |
 John Legend |
 Hozier |
 Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett |
 Alan Tossaint |
 Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett |
 Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett |
 Lady Gaga |
 The Who |
 Lady Gaga |
 Lady Gaga |
 The Who |
 The Who |
 The Who |
 The Who |
 The Who |
 Dee Dee Bridgewater |