Liftoff at Tipitina's->Crash Landing at Le Bon Temps Roulé

We went back to Lindsay’s, had a few drinks, and then made it to Tipitina’s for Galactic. We missed Eric Lindell’s opening set, but we did catch him sitting in with Galactic for a few great tunes.

J-R had made these great laminates for everyone in the bachelor party. These things had everything you needed to know: tons of cellphone numbers, numbers of cab companies, addresses for our food/music destinations, and a daily schedule of events. J-R even included phone numbers for both Cara and his parents, which would have come in handy had he lost a limb or needed a sudden liver transplant or something. (It was a bachelor party during Mardi Gras, so you couldn’t be too careful.) The laminates were a godsend and they even looked rather professional with a hologram at the bottom. As if all of the above were not great perks, these laminates also inexplicably got everyone into the VIP area at Tipitina’s, so we had our own private place to watch Galactic.

Galactic put on a great, guest-laden show, and we had a blast. In particular, Barrett was channeling some sort of divine spirit through his dancing. He was living on an entirely different plane than the rest of us and having the time of his life during his first trip to New Orleans. I don’t know what happened during the encore, but Galactic ramped it up to new heights, and in a frenzy, I got lifted up into the rarified air where Barrett was floating. Andy also felt the power, as he ripped off his arm brace and started swinging it around his head. It was a powerhouse ending to the show, and I was now covered in sweat, but it was only 3 or 4:00AM, so the night was far from over.

2/17/2007 - Tipitina’s - New Orleans, LA

SET ONE: The Moil, Lickity Split, Spiderbite, Buck-it like a Horse (w/ Coolbone Brass Band), Blacktalk, Goin' Down (w/ Eric Lindell), Lady Day (w/ Eric Lindell), Groove Holmes, Immigrant Song

SET TWO: Little Miss Lover, Linthead, Crazyhorse Mongoose, Bottle Up and Go (w/ Papa Mali), Jump Into the Fire (w/ Papa Mali), Chicken Pox> 2 Dots, Hercules (w/ Ivan Neville), Big Chief (w/ Ivan, Big Sam, CoolBone BB), Sunday Araq (w/ Glenn Hartman on accordion), Bongo The Dog, Bakers Dozen (w/ Big Sam)

Fess was decked out in grand style for Mardi Gras.

Photo by J-R.

Stanton tears it up. Photo by J-R.

The Hevy Duty Krewe at setbreak. Photo by Barrett.

Coolbone Brass Band sits in with Galactic. Photo by J-R.

Papa Mali sits in, too. Photo by J-R.

We made our way back to Le Bon Temps Roulé, and I’m not really sure who was playing. Word has it that Papa Mali was onstage with some sort of brass band. In all likelihood, I couldn’t see the stage from wherever I was, but don’t ask me where I was. I don’t remember much of this, but I vaguely recall drinking and having a good time.

Carm guards the entrance to the hallowed temple of Le Bon Temps Roulé.

Photo by Barrett.

Someone is onstage here, but don't ask me who they are or what on Earth they were playing. I would call this show a blur, but such a phrase would imply that I actually remember something other than the drinking and the temporary happiness it brought me.

Either Barrett really likes the music or the guy next to him just grabbed his ass.

Photo by Carm.

It was pretty late/early when we left, and Kevin took us to some bar (again, don’t ask me where) to do snakebites. The shot tasted awful, and that’s the last thing I remember. I didn’t get sick or cause a problem or anything, but I’m sure I was really tired, and everything is a blank from there on. It was probably around 5 or 6AM when we crashed.