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Review and photos by Mary Andrews The final two days of Jazz Fest clearly had some of the most superlative big name acts available in music today. However, it brought some of the largest crowds ever witnessed at Jazz Fest. The event was oversold and security was undermanned.Saturday was Elton John day at the fairgrounds. Prior to reaching the venue, the slow-moving, heavy traffic was a sure sign that this was going to be the big day! Once inside the festival, one had to make a choice of which stage you wanted to spend the day because movement through the crowd was nearly impossible. People were stacked on top of each other particularly at the largest stage on the fairgrounds that happened to be Elton's playground. There was no cap on the number of tickets sold. Fans occupied the entire green space for Elton John's set, but they then stretched onto the dirt track all the way to the back fence. They complained that not only could they not see, but also they could not move. Those who did see the show reported that they enjoyed it. On the other side of the fairgrounds, the day started with a huge crowd of teens, 'tweens,' and everything in between standing for the day for their idol Ed Sheeran. Every act that led to his set seemed like torture to them. There were some victims of dehydration in the crowd due to the sun and inability to consume enough water. Chris Stapleton brought his soulful country music to Jazz Fest. He has written hit songs for Kenny Chesney, George Straight, and Darius Rucker. His vocals were reminiscent of Jamey Johnson's vocal style. He has a new album, "Traveller," due out next week. Marc Broussard's set was a stand out. His Bayou soul style brought the fans out of the woodwork to get the day's groove going. Marc brought his father, Ted Broussard, out to play guitar for the last song. The biggest surprise was a California group, Vintage Trouble. Soul music was their specialty. Frontman, Ty Taylor, was not going to let the crowd nod-off during his performance. He was a little bit James Brown, and a little bit Charles Bradley and a whole lot of Vintage Trouble. Ty did not stop with dancing on stage. He jumped off stage, over the fence, and into the main part of the crowd. He dared the people not to sing. His pants were split from A to Z before the set was over! Good underwear! Finally, British sensation, Ed Sheeran finished Saturday's events with vibrancy, creativity, and playfulness. Many times the 'kids' do get it right. Ed Sheeran is one of those times. The stage was set with two large projection screens, a couple of metal boxes on the front of the stage, a microphone, and a loop at Ed's feet to replay his sounds. There was no band, just Ed and he was captivating. He played many tunes8 from his two best selling albums and he managed to weave some phrases from Stevie Wonder's Superstition" and Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" into his songs. The fans sang along. It was the musical nirvana that the fans had waited all day long. The final Sunday of jazz fest was a remarkable day. The crowd was not as thick as Saturday, but it was still heavy. The biggest draws had to be between Lenny Kravitz and Buddy Guy. The day was spent at the Acura Stage starting with the master bass man, George Porter, Jr. and the Runnin' Partners. The band was tight and the crowd was happy. Anders Osborne followed with a rockin' and jammin' set in spite of his physical malady. A back injury caused him to move slowly and have his guitar placed on a guitar stand for the majority of his set. George Porter Jr. was back with the Meters' set. The band members are New Orleans music royalty consisting of Leo Nocentelli on guitar, Zigaboo Modeliste on drums, and Art Neville on keyboards. Cyril Neville sang midset for several songs. Two additional Neville family members: Ivan Neville (Art's nephew) on second keyboards joined the band. Lenny Kravitz hit the stage with the ladies in the crowd muttering, "How can a man be so damn good looking?" The estrogen levels were riding high! Once he started "American Woman" the screams from the crowd were staggering. "It's so good to be back in New Orleans, playing on the same stage as my family, The Meters and Trombone Shorty," Kravitz, pronounced early in his performance. Trombone Shorty joined Kravitz for the last song of the set. The show was a triumph leading into Trombone Shorty's final set for the 2015 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The biggest surprise of the day came from the Blues tent and Buddy Guy. Mr. Guy is known for getting down in the crowd while he plays guitar and sings. By the time he hit the stage, the blues tent was busting at the seams. Many younger fans had pushed their way to the front near the stage. After the second song, Buddy left the stage and the fans rushed him. It was a security nightmare protecting him while moving through the crowd. Pandemonium was the only way to describe the scene. The crowd literally roared, the loudest I have heard. Mr. Guy took it all in stride, kept on playing and singing. The fans were totally out of control for the rest of the show. Who would have thought a 78-year old blues singer could cause such a stir. |
 Lenny Kravitz |
 Lenny Kravitz |
 Lenny Kravitz |
 Buddy Guy |
 Lenny Kravitz |
 Lenny Kravitz |
 Lenny Kravitz |
 Lenny Kravitz |
 Ed Sheeran |
 Ed Sheeran |
 Ed Sheeran |
 The Meters |
 The Meters |
 Anders Osborne |
 Anders Osborne |
 Art Neville |
 Marc Broussard |
 Chris Stapleton |
 Buddy Guy |
 Vintage Trouble |
 Buddy Guy |
 Buddy Guy |
 Vintage Trouble |
 crowd |
 Vintage Trouble |
 Vintage Trouble |
 Vintage Trouble |