Sunday was the last day of New Orleans Jazz Fest’s first weekend, which ran from April 24-27. The weather was pleasant as crowds came by the thousands to pack the festival grounds for local, international, and completely new artists.
RAM, originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti has called New Orleans home for the past three years. Despite their founder’s departure from the band just a few months ago, the band continues on. Haitian kone horns, various percussion instruments, and elements of rock fill this bands’ songs. The lead vocalist Lunise Morse danced along on the Congo Square Stage, feeling the music through her dances.
Legendary member of the Meters and the Neville Brothers Cyril Neville, “The Uptown Ruler,” showed his talents on the Congo Stage. His set included all of his classic hits which were well received by the crowd singing along. He was joined on stage by Mardi Gras Indians and vocalists from the Wild Tchoupitoulas as well as 15-year-old NOLA native River Ekert who played an incredible piano solo.
Cajun GRAMMY-nominated band Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys played on the Fais Do-Do Stage. The band consists of Steve Riley on accordion and vocals, David Greely on fiddle, Sam Broussard on guitar, Burke Riley on drums and guitar, Philippe Billeaudeaux on bass, and Kevin Wimmer on fiddle. The band’s southern vibes take you back to the roots of the Southern Louisiana sound.
On the Gentilly Stage, Suzannah Elizabeth Powell, better known by her stage name Boyfriend put on a fantastic show. She is known for her theatrical outfits and eccentric stage presence. For her Jazz Fest outfit, one side of the outfit was a black suit and the other was a white dress. Boyfriend has coined the term “rap-cabaret” to describe her unconventional approach to live performance.
Big Chief Monk Bourdreaux & The Golden Eagles jammed out on the Jazz & Heritage Stage in all pink and purple, feathery outfits. Chief Monk gained his status as a Mardi Gras Indian chief through bloodlines of both African and Native American ancestry. Chief Monk was laid back with a tan burlap Fedora style hat and an intricately beaded purple outfit. Their music contains elements of genres like blues, jazz, Native American, and Creole.
New Orleans native 8-piece band The Revivalists brought rock n’ roll to the main Festival Stage. Lead vocalist David Shaw awed the crowd with his clean vocals, showing off his tattoos in a white tank top and pressed gray dress pants. The Revivalists have reached far outside their home city of New Orleans, becoming multi-award winning artists and sharing their music around the world on some of the biggest festival stages. As an epic finale to the band’s 100 minute set, they brought out Tank Tarriona Ball and Ivan Neville for a stirring rendition of “I Shall Be Released.”
At the Cultural Exchange Pavilion, Etran de L’Air of Niger, a band of brothers and cousins played their “desert blues.” The rock artists are all from the small neighborhood of Abalane in Agadez, Niger. Their intricate harmonies and heavy guitar-driven tunes are a unique mixture of traditional Tuareg music with Western blues and rock influences.
Exalted blues guitarist Eric Gales closed out the day in the Blues Tent. Gales wore an all white outfit, accessorized with a thick gold chain and his wood grain face guitar. An interesting fact about this child prodigy is that he plays a right-handed guitar “upside-down” or with the strings in the wrong order. When he was just 4 years old, his left-handed brother taught him how to play, so he thought the technique was status quo.
Burna Boy had his debut New Orleans performance as a closer on the Congo Square Stage. He brought an entire 23-piece band/dancers from Lagos, Nigeria to deliver some contagious Afrobeats. He played some of his hits like “Ye,” “On The Low,” and “City Boys.” The crowd was ready to dance the night away as Burna Boy pointed the microphone to them and they sang every word.
Corey Ledet Zydeco & Black Magic brought some true Zydeco spirit to the Fais Do-Do stage for the end of Day 4. Accordion savant Corey Ledet just rebranded his stage name to include Black Magic, his personally customized all-black accordion imported from Italy. This two-time GRAMMY nominee and 2024 Louisiana Music Hall of Fame inductee did not disappoint with his superior accordion skills.
Sister trio HAIM ended the night with a bang on the Gentilly Stage. The women explained to the audience that they started their careers in a cover band with their parents, whom they invited out on to the stage. Mom Donna took over vocals and dad Moti took to the drums for “Mustang Sally.” A guest horn section accompanied the women for their popular song “Summer Girl,” adding a pop of New Orleans culture. HAIM also introduced new songs “Everybody’s Trying to Figure Me Out” and “Down to Be Wrong,” two pop songs with a much deeper meaning than they let on. The much anticipated new HAIM album will be out June 20th worldwide and the sisters just announced a tour across North America and the UK this fall.
Virginia-based rock band, the Dave Matthews Band covered songs from 10 different albums from their 30 plus years together, drawing in one of the largest crowds of the weekend. The 6-piece band has stood the test of time as one of the top 100 highest-selling music acts of all time. The band played favorites “Ants Marching,” “Grey Street,” and “Don’t Drink The Water” among many others.
Weekend 1 of Jazz Fest was an incredibly fun four days full of nice weather and even better music, food, and art. New Orleans is full of so much talent and respect for other cultures and it truly shines bright on these stages every summer. Here’s to Weekend 2!