The Foo Fighters were another rock band making up for lost time at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The group had been scheduled for the cancelled 2020 and 2021 editions, and then their plan to headline in 2022 fell apart following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins that spring.
The band used its time well on Friday when they finally hit the Festival Stage. Foo Fighters are a big rock band, and this was a big rock show in front of another big Festival Stage crowd.
Opening their two-hour show with the early 2000s hit "All My Life," Foo Fighters were ready to go. And they covered a lot of ground in their festival-geared set, from big radio hits like "Monkey Wrench" and "The Pretender" to deeper cuts and a couple of songs from the band's new "But Here We Are."
Foo Fighters are experts at working the crowd — probably one of the main reasons they've been one of the biggest rock bands for close to 30 years. The band would regularly stretch and shift a song, throwing in a metal-y riff and building tension before a big release. Frontman Dave Grohl also was extremely personable from the stage and talked a lot about playing New Orleans in the past and having love for the city.
"We've done this gig before, and this is the coolest weather we've felt at Jazz Fest," Grohl said. After a soggy morning, there was a good breeze and nice skies for the headlining shows.
"We played one time and it was the hottest show we've ever played," Grohl added. "And then I think about the people in the gospel tent with the full robes on, and I'm like 'I need to shut the fuck up.'"
Toward the end of the show, Grohl spoke about Hawkins — "We had a lot of fun in [New Orleans]. We had a lot of fun everywhere," he said — and dedicated the song "Aurora" to his friend. The band then closed with a strong version of "Everlong."
There were no guest musicians or surprises — save for a snippet of "Cissy Strut" played by keyboardist Rami Jaffee — which felt like a missed opportunity for Foo Fighters to lean into their love of the city. Still, this was a big show, especially for Foo Fighters fans.
Gambit will be out each day of the fest to capture all of the music, food and sights.
Meanwhile, Hozier packed the Gentilly Stage tight with a younger crowd that screamed loudly when the 6’6” singer walked onstage, dressed in a jean button down that he somehow managed to keep on during the entire set despite the typical Louisiana warmth.
Hozier joked that the crowd collectively brought the sun out following the morning drizzle with “a synchronized deep inhale.”
“Very impressive,” he said, before adding, “Only in New Orleans.”
It was a triumphant return to the Fair Grounds for the singer, who first played the festival back in 2015. He performed a mix of songs from his self-titled 2014 debut album, 2019 and 2023 follow-ups, and his latest EP “Unheard,” released in March.
He brought out Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Russell, who he’s been touring with, to sing “Work Song.” She brought him out to sing a song with her in the Blues Tent just before.
Shortly after, Hozier played “Nina Cried Power,” his song with blues singer and civil rights activist Mavis Staples. He said he wrote the song during 2016 about the power of protest, and noted learning about how the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. directly impacted the one in his home country of Ireland.
He took the moment to express his support of students protesting for Palestinian rights across the country.
“Students have very often been the conscience (of nations),” he said, “because they have so much to gain and so much to lose for their future.”
The ending of the set felt spiritual, almost like a conjuring as clouds above loomed with the threat of rain and the base thumped powerfully during “Movement.” Ending with his most popular hit, “Take Me to Church” only solidified that.
Enkele played the Cultural Exchange Pavilion on Friday, May 3.
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram closed out the Blues Tent stage, and based on the well beyond overflow crowd, the festival is going to have to move him to one of the bigger stages when he’s back.
The Clarksdale, Mississippi, native may only be 25, but he’s already established himself as one of the great blues guitarists. And Ingram seems to be getting more and more comfortable on stage and as a showman. Friday afternoon he seemed more confident and at ease than he did last year, and he was clearly having a lot of fun.
Like a lot of other young, Black blues players, Ingram’s style isn’t constrained by the past, and he’s developed a unique blend of electric delta blues, rock, funk and hints of country and more. Ingram dedicated the show to the late Nick Daniels.
His version of “Another Life Goes By” on Friday was a funky, reggae take on the breakout he recorded with rapper Big KRIT. During his extended solos and jams with his incredibly tight four piece band, you could hear quotes of the JBs and Parliament, in addition to classic blues numbers like “Smokestack Lightning.”
The festival’s lineup of Colombian acts continues to impress, and it's keeping the Cultural Exchange Pavilion packed. Enkele, an all-woman group from Colombia’s Caribbean coast, were particularly stunning and had the crowd mesmerized, including their take on “Ain’t Got No Hair.”
Early in the day, Bejuco brought its Afro-Pacifico Beat to the Congo Square Stage. The 10-member band from the Pacific Coast of Colombia, takes Afro-Colombian music and infuses it with Afrobeat, rap and other global influences for a percussive style. The band was charismatic and got the early crowd moving, but the sound on the Congo Square Stage kept the marimba low and things felt incomplete.
The Lee Brothers on the Fais Do-Do Stage on Friday, May 3
The Lee Boys had Jazz Fest’s little patch of patchouli and pooka shell necklaces at the Fais Do-Do stage groovin' up a sweat Saturday afternoon.
The Miami-based band plays an infectious style of Sacred Steel gospel that mixes in funk and blues. Throw in a trombone maestro like Big Sam Williams, who sat in with the family, and you’ve got a serious party.
Anna Moss and The Nightshades returned to the Lagniappe Stage for an afternoon set filled with her jokes, charm and mesmerizing vocals.
She played songs off her new album “Amnesty,” released in March, including “Gravy,” which she quipped was “the national beverage of Arkansas,” and “Neverending,” her track featuring Cyrille Aimee. Moss brought up guest artists on stage with her for several songs, including Gina Leslie and Sabine McCalla.
Between songs, Moss talked about growing up in Arkansas in a small town “where there wasn’t much to do besides religion or meth.” She remembered reading the Bible story of Adam and Eve and feeling like too much blame was placed on Eve.
“This is my rebuttal to Genesis, it’s called ‘Penis Envy,’” she said.
Moss noted several songs in her set were about forgiveness.
“I guess that’s my vibe these days,” she said.
Gambit previews the second weekend of Jazz Fest 2024.
