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Written by Alec Fatherree Monday, 02 November 2009 07:39
Music Notes
NEW ORLEANS | Voodoo 2009 finished on a warm note this Sunday, with not even a cloud in the sky as I entered City Park fashionably late. I headed straight for the main stage this morning and was immediately awakened by the bluesy hard rock of Brooklyn's Earl Greyhound, who seemed as happy to be on stage as the crowd was to be watching. My day passed lazily, as do all good Sundays, as I drifted from stage to stage. I chose to blow off the screaming, mostly female high-school crowd gathered for All Time Low's set on the Billboard/PS3 stage in favor of the soulful New Orleans gospel provided by Leo Jackson's Melody Clouds at Preservation Hall. After Brand New flexed their new-school grunge on the main stage, I raised high my glass (well, plastic cup) of whiskey for Irish folk-punk pioneers The Pogues, whose drunken frontman Shane MacGowan showed up several songs late and picked a fight with one of his band members before continuing what turned out to be a wonderfully executed set. Meanwhile, on the SoCo stage, Shooter Jennings was rocking out the way only a born country star of his pedigree can. From Jennings' stage, I headed further down the way to take in an amusing performance by the lovely ladies of Fleur de Tease Burlesque and their wisecracking emcee Chris Lane, who were joined by members of the tent's host, The New Orleans BINGO! Show. As afternoon turned slowly to evening, the southern fried jam rock of Widespread Panic gave Voodoo weekenders time to kick back and relax, but for me it was back to the BINGO! tent for swing revivalists Squirrel Nut Zippers, with horns and innuendo enough to keep me wide awake. While not technically headlining, acid-soaked experimental rockers The Flaming Lips provided the climax of the evening with their creative blend of stage theatrics and audience participation. I was astounded to look around and see concertgoers who had just minutes before been almost wholly unfamiliar with the band's work singing along to "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots." As the crowd began to dwindle, Lenny Kravitz and original grunge rockers Meat Puppets were the final big draws for this year's festival. As I headed for the gate, however, it became very clear that the party was not quite over yet. By the time I exited Voodoo 2009, I had made friends with a mime (no easy feat, especially for me), done "the robot" with a robot, and even scored some very nice free stuff from Toyota despite not having a driver's license. With a little bit of something for everyone, and even more in between, it's clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that this year's Voodoo Music Experience was another great success. I'll be looking for you all in the crowd next year, New Orleans.
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