Jazz Fest Highlights: First Weekend
Last weekend, local and national acts tore it up at the 2012 New Orleans Jazz Fest.
As usual, this year's Fest features a huge range of music, from the melancholy guitar of Bon Iver to the West African rhythms of Seguenon Kone and L'Ivoire Spectacle. Festivalgoers were treated to fair weather–though hot–and they packed the Fairgrounds in record numbers.
Kicking off seven days of music on Friday were local acts Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet, singer Sasha Masakowski, and many more, with the reincarnated Beach Boys bringing good vibrations to end the night on the Acura Stage.
Under Saturday's blazing sun, brass bands, jazz combos and local rock acts lit up the Fest from 11:15 till after dark. High-energy performances by Khris Royal & Dark Matter, the Storyville Stompers, the Soul Rebels, and Cee Lo Green paved a dancing path to the day's ending acts, while the enigmatic Feist entranced evening crowds at the Gentilly stage. Across the racetrack, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers broke some hearts and thrilled fans of all ages.
You'd think things might relax a bit on Sunday, but enthusiastic ticketholders crammed in by the tens of thousands to see Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band close out the weekend. Earlier in the day, the fest's 12 stages featured Iron & Wine and local favorites Dr. John, Trombone Shorty and Pete Fountain, as well as Cowboy Mouth and other homegrown acts. Though Springsteen's show was well-attended, some listeners left to see snappy, spirited Janelle Monae, to hear legendary crooner Al Green, or both.
The second weekend of Jazz Fest's 43rd year promises more magnificent music–we're looking forward to the Stooges Brass Band, Florence + the Machine, Galactic, Theresa Andersson, the Eagles, and so many more!
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