We’ve already covered some of the smaller stages at the event, as well as our discoveries, but as for the rest, Bruce Springsteen wasn’t the only highlight among the main stages during the three days I was at the festival. Let’s kick things off with another of the five bands we recommended to catch at the event, Alabama Shakes, who briefly popped out from their recording sessions to deliver some shows in North America.
Firstly let it be said that the new material is sounding tremendously solid. The newer tunes, such as “Be Mine”, from a recently shaved Brittany Howard and the rest of the group felt as an extension of the material we know well from the band – which of course they played plenty of as well, “Hold On” and all… – but taken up a notch. They’re rocking even harder, and for those more emotional moments, they’re feeling even stronger. I for one can’t wait for the next record.
Earlier on the same stage were the elegant country vibes of Hurray For The Riff Raff, with the incredible vocals of Alynda Lee Segarra, complete with backing fiddle, keys and a percussionist. On the Acura stage, meanwhile, Cowboy Mouth attracted a massive crowd. I wasn’t familiar with the New Orleans based group, but it certainly seemed like I was in the minority there. We find Cowboy’s lead Fred LeBlanc on the drums, leading his band through an energetic set, which included covers like the standard “You Are My Sunshine” right into his own material like “Disconnected”. He had the crowd in the palm of his hands from start to finish. Foster The People also worked the crowd well, in an energetic – if not inspired – set that clashed with Bruce Springsteen, playing a mix of old and new, going all the way from “Pumped Up Kicks” to “Best Friend”.
Big Sam’s Funky Nation are a favourite of New Orleans, being musical buddies with Trombone Shorty and delivering similar good vibes. This popularity saw him move on up to one of the main stages for a much enjoyed performance featuring tracks like “Freak!” and “Shake That Funky Donkey”, which I do recommend you check out. Later, on the Congo Stage, Bobby Womack rocked it with his amazing band, before Arcade Fire took their place on the mainstage to The Dixie Cups’ “Iko Iko” as their bobble head versions joined them, including what looked like Obama and the Pope.
“Here Comes the Night Time”, which has become a staple in their sets from their latest record Reflektor, and well known for the confetti orgasm that comes at the end (though this was absent in this performance), kicked off the set, which ran through a surprisingly eclectic mix of their catalogue, with songs like “Haïti” thrown in to good measure (as I’ve said before, it’s always a pleasure seeing Régine come to the front of the stage, and between this and “Sprawl II” we got a good dose of her tonight.
We also heard classics like “Rebellion (Lies)”, “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” and a stripped back version on “Antichrist Television Blues” serve as the outro for “Intervention”. Meanwhile, Win’s usually apt social commentary was there too, with “We Exist” being renamed “Marriage is a Human Right” for the afternoon, and a clever stab at the festival with the line “behind the gate won’t let you in unless you pay $900”, which is a reference to the fact that getting up the front costs you about that much thanks to a tiered ticketing system (though with GA tickets only $50 a day, the “elitist” system can hardly be complained about. It helps subsidise the rest, and the organisation behind the festival are a non-profit).
Win, as with Bruce before him, made sure to include some of the people further back, however, as he jumped into the crowd for “Night Time” and then at the end, turned his band into a parade for an encore of “Wake Up”, sung on a megaphone, as like the pied piper himself, he led the band to the back of the stage, where savvy fans made their way, and found themselves part of yet another singalong, orchestrated by Win himself. It was one of those great festival moments where the spontaneity of the moment delivers something special indeed. Their full setlist is at the end of this article.
And for our final mention for our coverage of the 2014 event, there was Christina Aguilera, an odd choice for one of the event’s headliner (a viewpoint that most Jazz Fest regulars I spoke to shared), but one we all went to see out of curiosity and/or repressed fandom. I definitely fit the category of the former, and found myself enjoying the brief portion of the set I witnessed. It’s inarguable that Christina has an incredible voice, and she worked hard to show it off throughout the set; I daresay even more so than normal, with so many of her idols sharing the festival’s stage both this year and in its illustrious history.
With covers from the greats like Nina Simone (“Be My Husband” which opened the set), Etta James (“At Last”) and even B.B. King (“Thrill Is Gone”), Christina showed off her love of the music that the festival is known for, while being supported by an impressive backing band. There was plenty of brass in there, which ensured she blended right in, even with the theatrics and the pop-melodies. There weren’t the number of costume changes as there would normally be in a “Xtina” show, and she acknowledged that there was a time and a place for that, and that it wasn’t here. But the fact she needs to say that at all really exemplified how out of place the pop star was.
It’s easy to be critical of Aguilera, but ultimately she did put on an enjoyable show. Her repertoire took us on a journey through the history of music, as well as her own back catalogue, with tracks like “What a Girl Wants” given a Reggae makeover, as her four backup dancers moved their everything, and “Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You)” was jazz-ified. Others, like “Beautiful” and “Ain’t No Other Man” were truer to their original forms, albeit performed LIVE. So a bit less polished, and with a good dose of brass. And this is where she has to be given credit – with all the bells and whistles she would be used to in her larger scale productions, Christina proved that none of that is necessary. If you’re willing to sing (she is, and does it well, unlike some other artists of this ilk), and if your band is good – that’s all that you need. Christina might be a pop star, and have the reputation as a “diva”… and she’ll be unlikely to ever shake that off… but at Jazz Fest she’s shown that there’s more to her than history will probably care to remember. But I suppose that’s just the nature of the pop world.
Of course, even in the three days I have covered of the event, I barely have scratched the surface of things. There’s the amazing food (Crawfish Monica! Cochon De Lait! The list goes on!), the bands that lead parades around the festival, the overall incredible vibes and one of this year’s finest attractions – the beautiful (comparatively) mild weather. Everything ensured this year’s Jazz Fest was a fine one indeed, and though I don’t know when I’ll be back, it’s a festival I’ll continue to look forward to attending until it does happen. It’s one of the best music events in the world, hands down.
Arcade Fire Setlist:
Iko Iko (The Dixie Cups)
Here Comes the Night Time
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Rebellion (Lies)
The Suburbs
The Suburbs (Continued)
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
Ready to Start
We Exist
Intervention
Antichrist Television Blues (Snippet)
No Cars Go
Haïti
Afterlife (with New Order’s “Temptation” snippet)
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Reflektor
Happy Birthday (Snippet)
Normal Person
Wake Up
Wake Up (In Crowd Parade Encore!)
