2017 New Orleans Jazz Fest

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Feb 2, 2017, 9:03 pm

#16

brp

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Blumie

Go see the headliners when they play in L.A. Or it Pittsburgh or Cleveland or Des Moines. The smaller "unknown" names, most of which are plenty well known in New Orleans -- and for good reason, are the reason you go to JazzFest.

Exactly. We're headed to Fest for the first weekend. mrs. brp and I have been together for 14 years and only missed Fest once. While we do periodically check out the headliners to take a look, it's the local acts we're there to see. That and the outside-of-Fest stuff as well.

If you're there on Sunday 4/30, check out New Leviathan Oriental Fox Trot Orchestra at Economy Hall. Friend of ours plays violin with them.

Sometimes we even run into Blumie there... if he doesn't know we're coming

Cheers.

Feb 18, 2017, 12:56 pm

#17

FLYMSY

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There is one "headliner" that will always be welcome at Jazz Fest.

After his 2006 Jazz Fest performance (1st Fest after Katrina), Bruce Springsteen will always be remembered for his set. Poignant. Emotional. Profound. Cathartic. Resonant. His set with the Seeger Sessions Band was just what the residents and true lovers of NOLA needed at that time. When he played "My City of Ruins", that opened up a deep, deep well of emotion in us.

http://www.nola.com/jazzfest/index.s...ingsteens.html

http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orlea...eb279b8b3.html

Mar 10, 2017, 8:48 am

#18

cslewis

Join Date: Aug 2016

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Excellent lineup for a Jazz Fest.

Mar 14, 2017, 2:53 pm

#19

TracyD

Join Date: Mar 2017

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

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Quote:

Originally Posted by cslewis

Excellent lineup for a Jazz Fest.

Agreed!

I cant wait.

The only downside is the amount of people that are there. Makes it sorta ...... to try and navigate your way around :\

Mar 14, 2017, 4:06 pm

#20

brp

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Quote:

Originally Posted by TracyD

Agreed!

I cant wait.

The only downside is the amount of people that are there. Makes it sorta ...... to try and navigate your way around :\

We've stopped going on the Saturday. Most crowded day and seems all about the big name headliner that one can see anywhere. Easy to avoid.

We do Friday and Sunday for our chosen weekend. First Friday and last Sunday are both relatively light on crowds.

Cheers.

Mar 14, 2017, 9:26 pm

#21

Blumie

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Quote:

Originally Posted by brp

Perhaps it's the case the Saturdays are more crowded -- probably attracts more local day trippers than does Friday or Sunday -- but I disagree that Saturday's are "all about the big name headliner." JazzFest does a good job of spreading the schedule so that every day has a good mix of local band and big national acts. For me, Saturdays are just like any other day at the Fest, preferring to dedicate my time to seeing the local bands, and mostly staying away from the big national acts.

Mar 14, 2017, 11:10 pm

#22

brp

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Blumie

I wasn't clear in what I wrote. Yes, the distribution of local talent is very well done. But the biggest headliners play on the Saturdays. And, even if one doesn't want to see them, it draws (many, IMO) more people. It makes simply getting around that much harder.

So, since there are also smaller local acts on the other days, we prefer those so as to avoid the crowds brought out by the Saturday headliners.

But different things work for different folks.

Cheers.

Mar 15, 2017, 7:31 am

#23

Blumie

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Quote:

Originally Posted by brp

But the biggest headliners play on the Saturdays.

In my 30 years of attending Fest, I have never noticed this to be the case. But all the data is available online (or in my stack of 30 years of JazzFest programs); it would be interesting to look to see if this is the case.

Mar 15, 2017, 7:56 am

#24

swag

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Defining "biggest" when it comes to headliners is pretty subjective. Some obvious metrics - like who draws the most incremental attendees - may be impossible to measure. But one hard number is who the festival pays the most to perform, and by that, yes, the absolute top dollar earning act pretty much always plays on a Saturday.

Mar 15, 2017, 8:03 am

#25

Blumie

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Quote:

Originally Posted by swag

Thanks, swag. The fact that I haven't noticed this in all of my years of Fest presumably is a function of (1) having no idea which acts are the "absolute top dollar earning" ones (with some obvious exceptions like Bruce Springsteen), and (2) noticing no discernible difference among the different days of Fest in terms of my level of enjoyment. Every day is crowded, generally speaking, but unless you're going specifically to see the big national acts, there's no reason a large crowd needs to detract from having a great time.

(That said, I'll humbly accept that brp may have been more correct than me on this point, even if it doesn't change my ultimate conclusion!)

Mar 15, 2017, 9:09 am

#26

brp

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Quote:

Originally Posted by swag

Basically, yes. I was thinking of "acts that draw the biggest crowds at their non-Fest engagements," which could be reasonably expected to translate to drawing the most incremental attendees.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blumie

Every day is crowded, generally speaking, but unless you're going specifically to see the big national acts, there's no reason a large crowd needs to detract from having a great time.

And while I've only got about 14-15 years to your 30, I have definitely noticed it harder to move around on the Saturdays while the last Sunday is very peaceful and easier to move around. Same is true for first Friday, IME.

But, as you say, there's rarely such a thing as a bad day at Fest

Cheers.

Mar 15, 2017, 11:16 am

#27

Blumie

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Quote:

Originally Posted by brp

Basically, yes. I was thinking of "acts that draw the biggest crowds at their non-Fest engagements," which could be reasonably expected to translate to drawing the most incremental attendees.

And while I've only got about 14-15 years to your 30, I have definitely noticed it harder to move around on the Saturdays while the last Sunday is very peaceful and easier to move around. Same is true for first Friday, IME.

But, as you say, there's rarely such a thing as a bad day at Fest

Cheers.

Fifteen years? Pffft, I'm surprised you even know how to find your way to the Fair Grounds.