“They come and go to the shows every night because that’s where a lot of the magic happens,” said Page, who comes from Blue Nile on Frenchman Street.
NEW ORLEANS — As festival-goers prepared to fill New Orleans venues for the second weekend of Jazz Fest, Jesse Page, located on Frenchman Street along the Blue Nile River, was in the midst of it all.
“It’s the highlight of the year,” Page said. “We do about 26 shows in two weeks. For each show, he has five to 10 musicians on stage.”
The live music bar is approximately 3.5 miles from the venue, but like any music venue in the city, there are multiple ways to experience the festival.
“We know people who don’t even go to the expo. They come or go to the night show because there’s a lot of magic that happens there,” Page said.
Page said the night show is a way for people to get into the festive spirit without the festival worries of crowds, lines, expense and weather.
“It has a lot of benefits. You’re probably going to see things on the fairgrounds that you wouldn’t normally see,” Page said.
Since the New Orleans music festival is all about grids for planning musical acts, there is a website to help you create your own. A website that bills itself as “nearly world-famous,” jazzfestgrids.com is your one-stop destination for finding out who, what, where, and when will be performing on stages across the city.
“The beauty of having Jazz Fest is that you never know who’s going to walk in the door because there are so many people from all over the world, including musicians,” Page said.
Some of these artists are scheduled to perform at Jazz Fest. If you missed Kermit Ruffins or Soul Rebels this weekend, both will be on Frenchman Street. All this music and the crowds that follow will help fill the void in music clubs as the low season approaches.
“Jazz Fest gives us a little economic boost to get us through the summer, which is why it’s so important to us. Additionally, it introduces the musicians who play here year-round to a national audience. You can,” Page said.
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