Ending his set at 6:30, Mr. Quintron - shirtless and manic - exhorted, “The Saints have scored a milion points! The universe has riven! The world is coming to an end! A lot of things have happened in the last half hour… ” for all the fans parked blissfully at the alterna-universe that is Voodoo all day.
While wailing during the psych-jazz Liquidrone set at noonish, Casey McAllister flat out split his solid-body guitar in two with, I guess, the sheer power of unadulterated rock.
Then, during the circus-arts set from Aurora Aerial, I somehow busted my camera. No more pictures today, but the lithe ladies in leotards enchanted and mystified high above the Bingo Parlor with silks and trapeze. Overheard during the tightrope walker’s performance: “I bet that dude never gets a D.U.I.”
Maybe last year I never looked up after dark, but it seems like this year they’ve added something new at Voodoo - once the sun set, a huge pyramid of light formed over City Park from the beams of three high-powered klieg lights triangulating in the sky. (Ironically, one beam originates at the press check-in tent, which I ran myself ragged trying to find earlier)
Now I’m going to go walk like an Egyptian.
This guy loves the mighty sounds of Lez Zeppelin, the all-girl Led Zep cover band from New York. Note the Zoso T-shirt.
After what seems like hours trekking through the surreal landscape of Storyland, the Botanical Garden, and the backstage bowels of Voodoo, this reporter finally found the media check-in only to be thwarted by an Internet that, apparently, hates me. Well, I won. Do you hear me, Internet?
Anyway, in my travels, I learned that at Voodoo this year you can get a tattoo…
… see a real live FEMA trailer (no explanation for this exhibit)
… and experience what ceviche feels like inside SoCo’s giant lime dance tent.
Whew. In other news, both the Palanquin Diaries performance and the Heavenly Trip to Hell set are cancelled for today, and the WWOZ hospitality area has hot dogs. I’m going to go catch Clint Maedgen’s set at the Bingo Parlour and plot my revenge against the Internet.
In half an hour, the madness at City Park will kick off and I’m right in the middle of it - marching with the Noisician Coalition out of the Bingo Parlour at 11 and 4:45. You’ll know us when you see us - and believe me, also when you hear us. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look.
Presenting Gambit Weekly’s first podcast – an hour of songs and interviews from artists performing this weekend at the Voodoo Music Experience. Download it here and listen on the way out to City Park or just stream it now to get a taste of what’s coming up over the weekend.
VOODOO '07 Preview: