VOODOO FESTIVAL: MUSIC + ARTS EXPERIENCE: Live performance with performers Grandson, Moon Taxi, Ducky (DJ set), Bishop Briggs, Brandi Carlile, Interpol and Guns N' Roses on Friday, October 25, 2019 at City Park, New Orleans, LA.
What a wet mess we've gotten ourselves into during the opening of Voodoo Fest 2019. It was a bit of a flashback from 2018 except that we haven't had rain in such a long time. The slop that we had to trudge through was looser and wetter rather than clay-like in 2018. It was actually easier to get through although it was still such a mess. Despite the threat of increasingly bad weather due to Tropical Storm Olga, the faithful trickled in. grandson in particular put on a great, energetic show while he was being drenched. Some bands could not play because their equipment could have been ruined.
The main event of the day, Guns N' Roses was the big question: would they or would they not take the stage. Fortunately for all of us waiting with ponchos, umbrellas, and wet feet, the rains slowed down just enough to make this highly-anticipated show possible. Axl's voice sounded exactly like it did when "Appetite For Destruction" came into the world in the late 1980s. Perhaps that can be credited to his singing voice being mostly in falsetto tones. My man Slash donned his signature hat, aviator shades, tight pants, a Bob Marley shirt and lots of silver jewelry, and Duff McKagan decided to honor another musician Shooter Jennings, son of Gunner Jennings, with his shirt. Not only did the band play many of GNR's powerhouse anthems, they mixed in some Velvet Revolver (a project with Duff, Slash, and the late Scott Weiland), Soundgarden, and The Who. But who among us did not sign along to "Sweet Child O' Mine" in the middle of set? I really enjoyed "Rocket Queen," one of the most interesting GNR songs ever followed by "You Could Be Mine." While this was by far the band that I wanted to see the most, there's still a lot more Voodoo to do.
