And The Audience Applauds, Jazz Fest 2008, Part I

Christian and I braved some of the worst weather we have had in months to spend some time at Jazz Fest yesterday with friends. It was possibly one of the stupider decisions we have ever made (and in fairness, I was the one driving the decision while Christian was kindly obliging). Needless to say, we were only out there for a few hours when they shut down most of the stages due to the weather. Just walking from stage to stage was tricky because of the mud and flooding. It was also cold (courtesy of the rain) and windy. I don't ever remember another time that I was cold at Jazz Fest and I will never forget this one.

On the positive side, there were very few lines for food and beverages and the weather made for some great people-watching. I loved the facial expressions - everything from totally miserable to absolutely over-joyed. There was a 300 lb woman in a swimming suit in front of me - the kind with the skirt that grandmas tend to wear. It made my day to see her spinning in circles, doing what she could to protect her belongings from the deluge, and belting out the words to "Moving Out". Yeah, we were watching Billy Joel (again, my choice, not Christian's). I sort of have a soft spot for him because it reminds me of my first stereo and listening to the radio for hours on end. But, I do not know his music well and I do not own any of his cds. I generally recognized most of the songs (even knew the lyrics to a few) until he played something called Zanzibar. Yea, no clue. At any rate, it was worth the inconvenience to see him perform. He was a great sport about the weather and had lovely things to say about NOLA, a place that I happen to dig a bit.

We ended the night at Slice where we were finally warm - thanks in large part to multiple glasses of red wine.

I am looking forward to some drier weather next weekend. La Luz has not missed a Jazz fest yet - even when in utero - and I promise I will not complain when I am covered in sweat.

A little lovely La Luz, snuggling with Hoppy during the rainstorm earlier today.


Happy Birthday Scarlet. My present to you was standing in the rain watching Billy Joel. I couldn't take a picture, for obvious reasons, but nola.com has some great ones so check them out.