First Friday

Okay, so my Jazz Fest plan for today was to see Susan Cowsill, J. Monque’D, the Zydepunks, Anders Osborne and/or Tab Benoit, and Buckwheat Zydeco. As usual, I departed from the script as the day developed.

I did arrive early enough to see most of Susan Cowsill’s set. I had heard of her but never really listened to her before. She’s exquisite. Her life story has her starting out as a member of the musical Cowsill Family. Years ago, she came to New Orleans and became an adopted daughter. I learned today that she’s an excellent song writer. Her singing voice I would describe as sexy. I’m a new fan.

Next up was the J. Monque’D Blues Band. JMD is a serious student of the blues. His band, I noticed, is excellent. They turned in a solid set, and when they finished, they got a well deserved standing O.

After that, I was hungry. I had my heart set on a cochon de lait po boy. The line was long and moved slowly, but the wait was worth it. At $5, it’s the best food bargain at the Fest.

With pig sandwich in hand, I headed over to Fais Do Do stage for the Zydepunks. It turned out that their music is neither zydeco nor punk. It wasn’t quite my cup of tea, but I did enjoy watching this bohemian girl and her guy-friend dancing to their music with hula-hoops.

I didn’t stick around for the whole set. Instead, I headed over toward the Blues Tent, ended up in the Gospel Tent, and had my serendipitous moment of the day, courtesy of Lady Tambourine. Things are always jumping in the Gospel Tent, but Lady Tambourine got them jumpier. (They say you haven’t been to the Jazz Fest if you haven’t been to the Gospel Tent. They’re right.)

The next act on my plan was Anders Osborne. But with time to kill before his set started, I swung by the Fais Do Do stage and caught a little bit of Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers. They are a young, rock-solid zydeco band. Dwayne is a wizard on the accordion. The white kid (?) playing the washboard was excellent, as was the rest of the band.

After catching half of Dwayne Dopsie’s set, I headed over to the Gentilly Stage for Anders Osborne. The good news: it wasn’t nearly as crowded as I thought it would be. There was plenty of space, even close to the stage. I guess that the threat of rain kept some people away. The bad news: the set was 15 minutes late getting started due to some technical problems.

I caught a couple of Anders’ songs, then had to make a choice: see the rest of his set or head to the Blues Tent for Tab Benoit. The threat of rain broke the tie: if it started to rain, a tent would be a good place to be. So I headed for the Blues Tent, where I caught Tab’s entire set. Going into the day, I would have called Tab the day’s best bet. The bet paid off. He and his band, Louisiana LeRoux, were excellent.

My plan for closing out the day had been to see Buckwheat Zydeco. But he was playing in the Blues Tent, and I decided I wanted to be outside for the final act. And with Fair Grounds not too overcrowded, I decided to go see Sheryl Crow instead. Of course I’ve heard of her, but I’d never listened to her before. I learned there’s a reason for her popularity: she’s good.

Tomorrow’s plan:

• 11:20 - Sonny Bourg and the Bayou Blues Band.
• 12:30 - Wayne Toups and Zydecajun.
• 2:30 - This is going to be hard. Walter “Wolfman” Washington and the Roadmasters will be at Congo Square, while Eddie Bo is next door at Fais Do Do.
• 3:35 - An easier choice: Dr. John.
• 5:30 - Billy Joel will be on the Acura stage. If the crowds are not too bad, I may give him a look. Otherwise, I’ll catch Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys.