In years past we have delivered a Sazerwrap to catalog our personal Jazzfest experience, so we will continue this year.
We have reviewed some of the shows we caught already and it should be stated: Jazzfest in New Orleans is RtBE's absolute favorite time of the year.
Like in 2022 (and probably for the foreseeable future) RtBE managed to hit parts of both weekends at the Fairgrounds with Sunday April 30th and Thursday May 4th being our two racetrack days. With so much music it is hard to put it all into words, RtBE won't really try this year, the pics can do the work:
Caught music from everyone from Dumpstaphunk to Kenny Loggins, Flagboy Giz to Jon Cleary, Buddy Guy to Meschiya Lake at the Fairgrounds. Also had some amazing eats.
Hard to call a favorite between the BBQ Fried Oysters and the Duck/Shrimp pasta...and impossible to pick a favorite artist from the load of amazing ones we saw from Los Lobos to The Rumble, The Iceman Special to Mdou Moctar, Hot 8 Brass Band to Santana. The hits just kept coming...
The trip isn't only the Fairgrounds though, outside of the fest proper we caught shows at Tipitina's, the Jazz Museum, The Rabbit Hole, BJ's, Saturn Bar, The Spotted Cat, The Joy Theater and so many more locales.
That city is electric and getting to know more and more friends, catch amazing shows, and just reveling in that towns mix of magic and mayhem makes the last weekend in April and first week in May RtBE's favorite time of the year.
In years past we have delivered a Sazerwrap to catalog our personal Jazzfest experience, so we will continue this year, even though this trip had the most official reviews we have ever done.
2022 Jazzfest was a dream come true after the last two years were canceled. It was the first festival that RtBE was in town for both weekends in 10 years when we were down for an extended time in 2012. This was also the first festival trip where we also got to stay in our own New Orleans home that was purchased pre-pandemic. Magical on all levels.
We have reviewed many of the shows we caught down there for both Glide Magazine and this site, with even more reviews coming, but there was still a lot of music we didn't review and just enjoyed.
The first ever Factory Fest was a hoot and we got to find some shade and relax to the sounds of New Orleans Nightcrawlers.
The fantastic Little Freddy King also played the free show presented by the Louisiana Music Factory and was held at the New Orleans Jazz Museum in the lower French Quarter.
The city always delivers as we made it over to catch Big Chief Donald Harrison play a set of classics in Congo Square which was a definite highlight of the whole trip.
Other days saw us catching Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns at The Spotted Cat, our friends in Obliquestra with special guest scary clowns and so much more that we didn't take pics of.
While we didn't review the Fest itself on the Friday we went, our favorite set was probably from The Stooges Brass Band as they delivered protest party music under the blazing sun. Preservation Hall Jazz Band was excellent as always on the Gentilly Stage and Big Freedia brought tons of ass shaking to Congo Square Stage as well; Friday was a scorcher in more ways than one.
As far as the food front, so many good meals it is hard to pick a best. Gianna was amazing Italian offerings, Le Petite Grocery was divine, Herbsaint was tasty as all hell and the new Miss River was a food overload.
No food pics like past years this time, but trust me that each restaurant delivered A+ offerings. Impossible to pick a favorite and can't wait to go back to all of them.
The town now is officially part of RtBE's life now and we can not wait to return, or for next years fest. Until then, some video from this years fest:
The Sazerwrap has been the @RockBodyElec way of rounding up all the amazing things that happen down at our annual trip to Jazzfest in New Orleans. We will breaking the review up into two parts, Food and Music, today is the Music. Only 11 Months until next years festival!
It has been a few years, but RtBE is bringing back the Sazerwrap for the 50th Anniversary of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. This is our 11th straight year of catching the fest and needless to say each year is magic. The trips keep evolving as does the festival and city which hosts it. Today we will chat about the tunes we heard and shows we saw.
The Sazerwrap has been the @RockBodyElec way of rounding up all the amazing things that happen down at our annual trip to Jazzfest in New Orleans. We will breaking the review up into two parts, Food and Music, today is the Music. Only 11 Months until next years festival!
It has been a few years, but RtBE is bringing back the Sazerwrap for the 50th Anniversary of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. This is our 11th straight year of catching the fest and needless to say each year is magic. The trips keep evolving as does the festival and city which hosts it. Today we will chat about the food we sampled and tomorrow the tunes we heard.
The Sazerwrap has been the @RockBodyElec way of rounding up all the amazing things that happen down at our annual trip to Jazzfest
in New Orleans. We will breaking
the review up into two parts, Food and Music, today is the Music. Only 11 Months until next years
festival!
While the food rightfully deserves its own post, the music is the real star at the end of April/beginning of May in the Crescent City. We will look into some of the real highlights so click that read more and join us for a recap...
The Sazerwrap has been the @RockBodyElec way of rounding up all the amazing things that happen down at our annual trip to Jazzfest
in New Orleans. As in past years we will breaking
the review up into two parts, Food and Music, today is the food. Only 11 Months until next years
festival!
Food and joyous celebration of eats, cocktails and ribaldry are just as important to the music on our annual Jazzfest pilgrimage. Click the read more and jump in...
The Sazerwrap has been RtBE's way of rounding up all the amazing things that happen down at our annual trip to Jazzfest
in New Orleans. This year we will breaking
the review up into two parts, Food and Music, today is the Music. Only 11 Months until next years
festival!
It usually takes us until the end of May to wipe the smile off so with that it is time to look back on what has become a highlight of every year...the music down in NOLA in and around Jazzfest.
The Sazerwrap has been RtBE way of rounding up all the amazing things that happen down at our annual trip to Jazzfest
in New Orleans. This year we will breaking
the review up into two parts, Food and Music, today is the food. Only 11 Months until next years
festival!
Every year it gets harder and harder to put into words how amazing the NOLA Jazzfest experience is. From the amazing friends whose numbers keep expanding to the all night raging to the music and food that just melts your brain and clogs your heart...Things are pretty much magical in that town.
Today we will talk about the calorie inducing portion of the trip, the tasty eats that NOLA is famous for. Each year seems to up the ante on the restaurants we hit and the great variety and quality of the grub and cocktails.
The Sazerwrap has been RtBE way of rounding up all the amazing things that happen down at our annual trip to Jazzfest
in New Orleans. This year we spent a week in town so we will breaking
the review up into a few parts. Only 11 Months until next years
festival!
The Sazerwrap has been RtBE way of rounding up all the amazing things that happen down at our annual trip to Jazzfest in New Orleans. This year we spent a week in town so we will breaking the review up into a few parts. Only 11 Months until next years festival!
Our Favorite Sazerac in town at The Carousel Bar in The Montelone
New Orleans means a lot to a ton of people, the culture, the art, the various music scene's and yet the one thing that seems to tie it all together is the amazing food on display at every turn in town.
I have been putting off this wrap up of Jazzfest off because mentally I still feel like a part of me is still there and... that is a fantastic feeling. I will do my best here but it would do more justice to that fantastic town and all the great people to chat about the experience over Abita's in a garden somewhere just west of the river. (As always click on the pics for bigger versions)
