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What are y'alls thoughts on that Motley Poo gap? www.motley.com/tour/ No way they can headline if they're playing Biloxi the following wednesday, right? Could they could be a pricey pre-headliner like Kid Rock? or too big? The exciting part is Alice Cooper is opening for them on that tour so he should be very possible for Voodoo to snag this year.
That's a great thought, abra. Indeed, now you got me thinking
wannaberoo'ing & abrakapokus, me three! I have lots of family that live 1.5 hrs from NOLA, so it's really tempting.
Me four? Haha
I used to live in Biloxi, MS which is only like an hour from New Orleans and I miss visiting down there. This is the fest I've been going back and forth on but I guess it's time to make a decision.
wannaberoo'ing & abrakapokus, me three! I have lots of family that live 1.5 hrs from NOLA, so it's really tempting.
Me four? Haha
I used to live in Biloxi, MS which is only like an hour from New Orleans and I miss visiting down there. This is the fest I've been going back and forth on but I guess it's time to make a decision.
Me five!! LOL I've wanted to go to Voodoo for a few years, but it's never been good timing. I'm not sure if I can do it this year, but next year for sure!
For those traveling and on a budget: I booked a cheap hotel at Motel 6 @ 4200 Old Gentilly. 2 beds, 3 nights for a total of $184+ tax. This place is only like 2 miles away from downtown and right off the interstate. We stayed here during Jazzfest a couple nights the 2nd weekend instead of my friends house because we were tired of the hassle and it's not that bad at all. I was expecting it to be a complete shithole based on the reviews, but it's not. Our room was HUGE and you could easily fit 3 or 4 air mattresses in the double bed room and sleep a whole crew of folks. Just don't tell them when you check in how many people are actually staying obviously. Considering most hotels charge more than that a night, this is a hell of a deal.
longinus it says the VIP ticket is 350 right now. Is this just presale price?
If so, I'm thinking I'll grab a pair before too long.
Yes, that's the advanced sale price. That price is going to go up to like $400 or $450 + fees after next friday. Go ahead and book a hotel room now too because those rates will go up after the lineup is announced. You can always cancel up until the day of check in.
For those traveling and on a budget: I booked a cheap hotel at Motel 6 @ 4200 Old Gentilly. 2 beds, 3 nights for a total of $184+ tax. This place is only like 2 miles away from downtown and right off the interstate. We stayed here during Jazzfest a couple nights the 2nd weekend instead of my friends house because we were tired of the hassle and it's not that bad at all. I was expecting it to be a complete shithole based on the reviews, but it's not. Our room was HUGE and you could easily fit 3 or 4 air mattresses in the double bed room and sleep a whole crew of folks. Just don't tell them when you check in how many people are actually staying obviously. Considering most hotels charge more than that a night, this is a hell of a deal.
Another good budget option is the Super 8 off Chef Menteur. Not far from the Motel 6 you mentioned. Its right next door to an empty and horrifying looking hotel, so at a glance when you drive by on the interstate (you always see it driving in from the east) it looks terrible. But the Super 8 itself is completely fine. 24 hour security, rooms are simple but clean with no funny smell, great front desk staff. And cheap of course. The only area that feels slightly sketchy is when you have to park in the back.
I think it beats staying in Metarie for those on a budget, just because its easier to get on the interstate and get into town from New Orleans east. Metarie can be a bit traffic heavy at certain times.
Will have to keep the Motel 6 in mind for future trips on a budget.
Will have to keep the Motel 6 in mind for future trips on a budget.
Yeah it was great, man. Our room didn't smell, friendly check in guy, the whole hotel had a security gate around it including the parking lot, the ice machine worked, wifi, hbo, minifridge & microwave (if you select that option when booking for only $2 more a night), etc. And it was actually just as quick (if not quicker pending traffic) to get there by jumping on the interstate than driving to my friends place in the bywater.
We have talked a lot about this in the Coachella thread but in case you all didn't know you can book rooms on booking.com with no deposit and free cancellation usually up to the day before the check-in date so grab rooms now and change or cancel later. I'm going to book a room now just in case I do decide to go.
We have talked a lot about this in the Coachella thread but in case you all didn't know you can book rooms on booking.com with no deposit and free cancellation usually up to the day before the check-in date so grab rooms now and change or cancel later. I'm going to book a room now just in case I do decide to go.
For sure. Its not unusual for me to book my Jazzfest hotels as early as July/August. Plenty of hotels offer cancellation up to a couple days before check in.
Just booked Motel 6 New Orleans (I-10 service road) from Thursday to Monday for $231.96. If I do go and my husband doesnt go with me I'd be happy to share the room with someone. I'll keep y'all updated.
I'm not positive I'll be at Voodoo all weekend, but I will be in New Orleans for Halloween this year and at least a day at the fest!! Waiting for the lineup. We rented the condo at the Muses that we stayed at last year because we had sooo much fun, and I've been homesick for NOLA since I got home to Kentucky If you're thinking about going and you've never been, do it!!! So much awesome packed into that stinky city <3
I have only ever been to NOLA once and that was for a Sugar Bowl the year UGA won the National Championship. I definitely either want to do Voodoo or Jazzfest one year. Which one would you all recommend?
I have only ever been to NOLA once and that was for a Sugar Bowl the year UGA won the National Championship. I definitely either want to do Voodoo or Jazzfest one year. Which one would you all recommend?
Jazzfest crushes Voodoo, IMO. Sorry to poop in the Voodoo thread.
Comparison by category:
Music
Of course, this is wholly subjective, but generally speaking Jazzfest skews towards big name classic rock acts (think springsteen, tom petty, fleetwood mac), a handful of "Which Stage" sized rock acts (think Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, MMJ, etc), and a TON of local talent. You won't see a lot of hip-hop (other than bounce music!), and there will be no EDM. So basically a lot of rock, a lot of funk/new orleans r&B, some cajun/zydeco music, etc.
The Voodoo trend the past few years is to have three really awesome headliners (last year was NIN, The Cure, Pearl Jam, 2012 was NY&CH, Metallica, Jack White) and they always seem to trend towards 90s type acts. There has also been some awesome local talent, but not nearly as much as Jazzfest. There is also a dedicated EDM stage with the usual suspects (skrillex, bassnectar, kaskade, etc). My biggest problem with Voodoo the past couple years is the gigantic drop off in quality after the headliners. Really the past two years have been my favorite "top 3" on any schedule at any festival that year, but the undercard has been pretty weak. Don't get me wrong, there were some quality undercard acts, but almost none were "Which Stage" quality, and most weren't even "tent" quality. So you basically have three What type acts then a crapload of Cafe acts.
Food
I've gone on and on about this, but jazzfest food is not only the best festival food ever, its some of my favorite eating I do all year, period. Cochon de lait, trout baquet, grilled chicken livers with pepper jelly, crawfish monica, cracklins, shrimp and grits, etc. All reasonably price, restaraunt quality dishes. If Jazzfest was just local musicians and food I'd still go for multiple days every year.
Voodoo food is still definitely a notch above other festivals, but IMO not on Jazzfest's level. Still, if you go to voodoo, definitely worth coming hungry to check out what they have to offer.
Vibe
This is where Jazzfest really wins out. The first year I went to jazzfest I told my friend who was a veteran of many jazzfests "this must be where deadheads come to retire" and he agreed wholeheartedly. The crowd definitely skews towards the older. When I'm at jazzfest I feel like I am where music as I know it began, which, being in New Orleans, you could make an argument for just that. African slaves brought their music with them, and that is the root of all great American music genres: jazz, blues, rock, even dance music. Sure, there are jerks at jazzfest, as there are at any music festival, but I certainly don't notice them as much. Jazzfest has been happening for over 40 years I believe, there is so much history, and I just absorb all of that the minute I hit the neighborhoods around the venue. Its intoxicating.
Voodoo is more of a standard music festival vibe. Tons of EDM kids because of the EDM stage. Definitely not on the level of Bonnaroo. But still, I'm always happy when I'm there.
Venue
Jazzfest is at the fairgrounds racetrack, Voodoo is at City Park. Both are acceptable music venues, but I prefer Jazzfest. Either way you'll have to arrange for some kind of transportation from your hotel to the venue, there are no hotels near either one (unless you grab a room at a B&B in midcity). Transportation is available via cabs or shuttles, or you can drive your own care and pay to park.
There is more room in City Park, for the big names I believe it is much easier to get a good spot at Voodoo. For an act like Springsteen at Jazzfest you'll need to park somewhere all day, and its going to be CROWDED. Like almost dangerously crowded. But other than the big names at Acura its pretty easy to get a decent spot at Jazzfest as well.
Night Shows
Jazzfest ends at 7pm, Voodoo ends at 11pm. So no shows in the dark at Jazzfest, which bums some people out, but what you get in return is the best night time after shows of any festival. Especially with more and more venues opening up post-storm in New Orleans, the quality of shows has been super high. 75% of the night shows are like a Bonnaroo superjam, there are so many talented local musicians and so many out of town musicians with connections to new orleans, that amazing things tend to happen (see the govt mule setlist at the saenger this year, top five show of all time for me). Pretty much all music genres are represented in the night shows, see www.jazzfestgrids.com for a taste of what this past year was like.
Voodoo also has some after shows, but I've never made one because I'm usually pretty exhausted by the time the festival wraps up. But in terms of quantity of shows, jazzfest easily has voodoo beat.
Random Notes
-Jazzfest is during a hotter time of year, Voodoo is usually cooler, and sometimes downright cold. -Jazzfest runs two weekends, weekend one is three days, weekend two is four days. It can be difficult to decide which weekend to attend, if you don't live close like I do (two hours away, I just hit whatever days I want). -There is camping available for Voodoo, but not for jazzfest.
The correct answer is to attend both, but if I had to choose, Jazzfest would win easily. And it wouldn't even matter to me who was playing.
