Miscellaneous

Once again, my day at Jazz Fest did not go as planned.

It started off nominal. Sonny Bourg & the Bayou Blues Band were good. Wayne Toups and Zydecajun were great. But toward the end of Wayne?€™s set, a few scattered rain drops started falling. And I congratulated myself for tossing an umbrella in my carry-around beach bag.

At 2:30, I had to make my choice between Walter ?Wolfman?€ Washington and Eddie Bo. The tie breaker was the venue: Eddie was playing at the Fais Do Do stage, a more intimate setting than Congo Square, where Walter was playing. So I went with Eddie.

During Eddie?s set, the scattered raindrops turned into a steady drizzle. Out came the umbrellas and rain ponchos. Eddie played a great set. But after the first song, they had to move stuff toward the back of the stage to get it out of the rain, including Eddie?€™s piano and the monitor speakers.

Meanwhile at the Acura stage, the entire schedule was being moved up. Dr. John, who was supposed to start at 3:35, started at 3:15. By this time, the rain was steady and the track was getting muddy. The good Doctor was okay. He brought out Shannon McNally for a couple of songs, and I?m glad he did; I?™d heard enough about her to be curious.

After Dr. John, the rain let up a bit, so I went to one of the food areas and got a Cuban sandwich. And I heard the sound of an unbelievable brass band from across the infield. It was the New Birth Brass Band. And they played the most amazing set I?ve ever heard?quite possibly the best set I?™ve ever heard at Jazz Fest. (Once again, the most memorable set of the day was one I hadn?™t planned to see.) And the crowd was into it, everyone dancing, everyone into the call and response. The rain, meanwhile, was turning into a downpour.

And the rain divided the world into two groups of people. There were those for whom the rain washed out their Jazz Fest; they were leaving in droves, some of them doubtlessly disappointed at the weather?s non-cooperation. And there were those for whom rain is part of Jazz Fest, as sorrow and death are part of life. They were trying to stay dry as best they could, with mostly ineffective umbrellas and maybe slightly more effective ponchos, or improvised rain gear such as the classic Hefty bag with head and arm holes. But mostly they accepted the fact that whatever they did, they were going to get soaked. So while they were getting soaked, they sang and danced.

New Birth finished their set around 5:30. By this time I was soaked from my ribcage on down?an umbrella isn?€™t much good when it?s raining sideways. And the rain was still pouring down and around. Leave? Or go to the Acura stage to catch Billy Joel? Remembering those droves of people leaving, I figured there would be some elbow room in front of the Acura stage. And since I was already wet anyway ....

So I caught most of Billy Joel?€™s set. (He had been scheduled to start at 5:30 but, like Dr. John, started early.) And Billy play his ass off. He played all his songs that everyone knows by heart, so knowing them by heart, everyone sang along. When he did ?€œYou May Be Right,?€ lightning was striking not too far away, and I thought as we sang along that indeed, we all may be crazy. He saved ?€œPiano Man?€ for his encore, and the thousands of hearty souls still there sang along lustily. All the while, the rain kept pouring down and around.

By the time Billy left the stage, the Fair Grounds infield was a mud pit. I didn?t feel cold until the music stopped; as I walked back to my car, my teeth were chattering.

So how wet did I get? You know how, when you go swimming, sometimes your fingertips get wrinkled? I swear on my mother?€™s grave that when I got home, got my soaking wet clothes off, got in the shower, and washed my backside?€”my ass was wrinkled.

I had a blast. Can?t wait until tomorrow.