And do wear your most comfortable shoes. This is Very Important.
You’ll be glad you did. It’s a great idea to take some bottled water along
with you unless you are prepared to pay the price. And sun block isn’t
a bad choice, either. Ditto for a hat of some sort, or perhaps last year’s Jazzfest bandana. No need to risk getting sunstroke while you’re waiting
in line for your Crawfish Monica, right? More on this Very Important
Food item later.

 Here’s something else well worth remembering. This is not like going to
a concert at the Superdome, where an incredibly large parking facility is
provided. This is like going to a open-air festival where NO parking is
provided. What can I say? Some folks are apparently perfectly content
to take their chances on finding a place in some entrepreneur’s yard now
parking lot relatively close to the Fairgrounds. I am not. Tried that once
and did not like it. Not at all. (In case you do opt for that, it will run you anywhere from about $5 to $25, depending on the proximity to the Fest.)
Get this. For $14, you can park your car in a secure area called Marconi
Meadows in City Park AND ride to and from the Fairgrounds on a Jazz
Fest Express shuttle bus. This is a super deal, y’all. And you can buy
your shuttle tickets in advance along with your Jazzfest tickets ($49 a
day in advance, or $59 a day when purchased on Festival days). I’m all
for the hassle-free experience, so we arrived at Marconi Meadows with
tickets in hand. The only way to go... [Check here for current info!]

 I noticed that some folks take a different approach than we did. They lug
lots of stuff with them, like blankets to spread out on the ground, folding
chairs or those umbrella-type collapsible things. They are on a Mission.
They know exactly where they want to stake their claim. No doubt this
is determined by the venue of their Favorite Musical Group. Someone
like Paul Simon, for example, who was El Numero Uno Nombre Grande
this year (2001). Last year it was Sting. (Yes, that is correct. Sting. Paul
Simon. Not to mention Ellis Marsalis, Keb Mo’, Ramsey Lewis. You get
the picture. We are talking Big Time here, okay?) So if Paul Simon is to
perform at 4:40 p.m. on the Acura Stage, and you actually want to SEE
Paul Simon up close and personal, you’ll want to pick your spot as soon
as the Festival opens, relax, enjoy the preceding groups, take turns with
your companions doing food and beverage runs and await the Big
Moment. And we wish you luck with that. Lots...

[2007 offered Harry Connick, Jr., Rod Stewart, Norah Jones, Dr; John,
Bonnie Raitt, John Mayer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Z. Z. Top, Steely Dan,
Irma Thomas, and many, many more... Click here for current info.]

 This is not the approach we chose. We knew for sure that we wanted to
see Ellis Marsalis at 1:10 in the WWOZ Jazz Tent, Banu Gibson & New
Orleans Hot Jazz at 3 in the Cox Communications Economy Hall, Louis’
Home Cookin’: A New Orleans Tribute  to Louis Armstrong (featuring
six of the best trumpeters you'll ever hear) back in the Jazz Tent at 4,
and wrap it up with Celia Cruz and the Johnny Pacheco & His Orchestra
(Latina) at 5:45 on the Congo Square Stage. (What’s that? You would
have opted for the Dave Matthews Band at 5? Yes, I hear you. But what about the fact that you’re in the Jazz Tent at 4, and the Dave Matthews
Band is drawing a HUGE crowd on the Acura Stage??) If you could see
the layout of the Festival, you would understand just how vital logistics
are to the success of your excursion.

Since we were going to be covering a LOT of ground, we knew better
than to bog ourselves down with chairs or blankets or any other non-
essential paraphernalia. My point here, jazz fans, gourmands, and party
animals, is that it will simplify your total experience considerably – not
to mention keeping your stress level in check -  if you know prior to
your arrival at the Fest where your priorities lie.

 In between the musical encounters (of the close kind, if you are fortunate), you will, of course, be contemplating your JazzFestFeast. You must. This
is the NEW ORLEANS Jazzfest, remember. Food is NOT an afterthought
or a sideline at this event, y’all. In fact, it is nearly as much a raison d’etre
as the music itself for this bash. Would that I could tell you about ALL the food.  Alas, time and space do not permit such a grand indulgence. Here’s what we planned to eat (all highly recommended by our favorite New
Orleans food guru, Tom Fitzmorris):

 Natchitoches Meat Pies and/or Crawfish Pies (Mrs. Wheat’s)
Pheasant, Quail & Andouille Gumbo from Prejean’s
in Lafayette, authentic Cajun country
Crawfish Sack and Crawfish Beignets
Crawfish Monica
Crawfish Bread
BBQ Oyster and/or BBQ Shrimp po’ boy, made by the
Red Fish Grill, the only Brennan presence at the Festival
White Chocolate Bread Pudding
And in between, of course, several trips to a beverage vendor
for another dose of Foster’s.
Plus Rosemint Tea and/or Mandarin Orange Tea, the most
refreshing drinks at the Festival.
Oh yeah, they have café au lait (hot, iced or frozen) from
Café du Monde, too!
And Italian Ice Cream and Biscotti from Angelo Brocato’s...

Mercy, mercy, mercy... Somebody SAVE me!

I know, I know, I know, we cannot possibly consume that much food
in the time allotted. But we could try! And even if we could consume
that much, we couldn’t possibly manage to procure that much food
AND partake of the musical enchantment on our list. Ostensibly the
reason we went in the first place. Right? Right!

 Well, what can I say? We didn’t make it through our list. Chances are you won’t either. Just do the best you can, and enjoy what you DO manage to
get your hands on. (Believe me, that won’t be a problem. The enjoyment,
I mean.) Be prepared for long lines, and keep on humming, snapping your fingers, tapping your feet. And shaking your booty if your feel like it. You probably will feel like it, because you’ll notice that underlying everything
else there is a constant, persistent, undeniable beat. Bass. Boom, badda
boom, badda boom. Cool. And after all, you didn’t expect the Fairgrounds
to be empty, did you now? If you play your cards right, you won’t spill a
bite wending your way back through the line behind you, looking for a
good place to chow down.

 Our most memorable food experiences were the Crawfish Beignet excursion
and our quest for Crawfish Monica. We are lured to Food Area II by a trail
of mixed aromas almost impossible to describe. Reminiscent of the sea, first
of all. Like standing on the beach at Gulf Shores with a faint spray of salt
water in your face. Or being on a deep-sea fishing boat. The saltiness is cut
by a hint of sweetness. There is a faint yet pungent yeast-like scent. It’s
difficult to say whether its origin is bread or beer. There’s plenty of both.
And the oily odor that comes from hundreds of fried foods being prepared
all around. And herbs – the ubiquitous thyme and oregano that are such
an integral part of Creole and Cajun cookery. Pepper of all kinds, and lots
of garlic. A fiery, piquant feeling permeates the entire area. They have
definitely kicked it up a notch, jazzed it up most suitably, these masters
of outdoor gastronomy. We know we are not the only ones in line
salivating with anticipation…

 The Beignet stand was not yet jam-packed, as we hit it relatively early in
the day. We even found some space at a nearby “standing table” which
was occupied by some very friendly folk. That made the whole thing
even better.  The gentleman standing across from me was ravenously
consuming what appeared to be a French fry po’ boy. I’m thinking,
wait a minute, French fries on a sandwich. Doesn’t make sense, does
it? Now that I think of it, though, Emeril would not agree... The po’
boy is now oozing what appears to be gravy. Hmmmm...My interest
peaks. But before I have a chance to get into my Funky Liza Roving
Reporter mode, someone asks,
“Excuse me, sir, but are those French fries on your sandwich?”
“Yeah, you right, French fries and roast beef gravy, the only way to go.
Best po’ boy in the woild.” (These, along with fried apple, blueberry
and peach pies are provided by Elizabeth’s restaurant in Bywater.)