The first day of the Voodoo Music and Arts Experience is now behind us, with a slow start on Friday giving way to a spectacular set from Pearl Jam to close out the night after great performances from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Allen Stone, ZZ Ward, A Silent Film and more.
Among the old oak and willow trees in New Orleans’ majestic City Park, fans and revelers took their time making it into Voodoo 2013, enjoying a casual wind-up of one of the most popular festivals in America before kicking into gear for a music marathon that runs the entire weekend. Check out our recap of highlights and lowlights from our first day at Voodoo fest!
The Good
Pearl Jam’s headlining performance
Easily the best festival set they’ve played in years, Eddie Vedder & Co. were in scorchingly strong form as they ripped through an intensely upbeat, rockin’ set that mixed a great many new songs into a career-spanning set of classics, fan-favorite rockers (“State of Love and Trust,” “In My Tree,” “Inside Job”) and covers (“Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns,” “Rockin’ In The Free World”). Keep an eye out for our top ten moments from Pearl Jam’s Voodoo set, coming (very) soon.
Macklemore’s alter-ego Sir Raven Bowie
Hyping up a “special guest” from Great Britain, Macklemore ran backstage for a costume change, donning a wig and cape for a ludicrous performance of “And We Danced”.
Honorable mention: Skinny dipping in New Orleans
According to the man himself, hobos stole Macklemore’s clothes, so he caught a dripping, naked piggy-back ride on a 90 year old pigeon-feeding lady to the thrift shop, of course.
Allen Stone’s hip-hijacking performance
Allen Stone’s explosion of soul is no accident; a legit son of a preacherman, Stone knows how to rally a crowd into a foot-stomping, hand-waving frenzy. Sure, the crowds were thin all day at the Flambeau stage, but those who were there got an extra dose of greatness on Friday thanks to Mr. Stone and his band.
Halloween costume carryover
Halloween costumes still in full effect for several Voodoo attendees made for an even more festive atmosphere on Day One.
The Food
The gutbusting goodness of local New Orleans cuisine made for some fantastic eating on Day One at Voodoo fest. The goodness came at a cost, however, as you’ll see below.
The not-so-great
VIP expansion = unabashed greed
The VIP zone at the main stage has expanded considerably since Live Nation dug their fingers into the Voodoo, essentially taking up the entire right side of the audience area. This led to Eddie Vedder commenting multiple times about the “jacuzzi section or whatever the fuck that is over there” during Pearl Jam’s set.
Smoke
Thick plumes of smoke from the BBQ and local cuisine at the food stands wafting through the fields. *Cough cough*
Noise bleed
Unless fans were in the front rows at any given stage, it was impossible not to hear distractingly loud sounds coming from various other stages in City Park. This is a definite downside to a festival with such a positive reputation.
Where is everybody?!
The first 23 acts of the day – a good 80 percent of Friday’s lineup – played to largely empty fields. It’s hard to tell whether Halloween hangovers or lack of interest kept attendees at bay, but the crowds were sparse at best until sunset, at which point all of New Orleans seemed to descend upon City Park for Macklemore’s set.
Oversize schedules
Really, guys? How far into the evolution of the festival experience are we now? Rather than a streamlined guide for the wheres & whens, attendees were handed ad-rich bulky schedules that don’t fit into pockets. Not everyone wants to let a festival app suck the battery out of our phones. Going analog shouldn’t be a tedious process.
On to Day Two!
