A beautiful sunny day that turned hot with the sounds of electric guitars, spiritual voices, and dancing with strangers, the first day of the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was a major success. Crowds were large and the artists playing on the various stages came with their rock & roll boots on.
The sassy Mia Borders walked out onto the Gentilly Stage around mid-day with enough attitude to kick butt the New Orleans way – with her voice, her guitar playing and her very-capable band beside her. Starting things off with “Walk On By”, the lady proceeded to wake everyone up who were unfamiliar with her brand of bluesy-smoke rock & soul. She is one of the guys and is never hesitant to let them know she can run with them full throttle. “Try Me On”, “Somethin’ Burnin’” and the excellent “Use Me” propelled Ms Borders to another level. She can definitely be the next big thing in kick ass blues-soul-funk-rock. With a new CD just coming out, don’t be surprised if she gives popular ladies Gaga, Katy and Nicki a swift kick in the tail and eventually take over their reign, returning the rock throne to it’s proper sound.
With a tight band featuring guitarist Kyle Sclafani, bassist Pablo Gonzalez, and drummer Nick Hingel, Mia has the confident comfortability to do whatever she wants whenever she wants on that stage. They hold down the fort with fat sounds and rock steady rhythms that inspire shouts from the crowd to keep playing. They fit her well.
Returning for the second year in a row, Jeff Beck eased out onto the main stage with a blue and white striped vest and a cool white strat and proceeded to nonchalantly give a lesson on how to be a legend without overacting the histrionics. His fingers did all the talking, coaxing notes that only someone of his caliber could extract from what is quite simply only wood and strings.
Beck never said much, never shared with his followers any insightful stories of where the music in his head came from. He was all about blending his body with his guitar and in turn becoming one with his funky band to create a gumbo of British Blues melodies. His beautifully simple yet somber version of “A Day In The Life” and a rocking-out “Little Wing” were highlights. “People Get Ready” was a crowd favorite and when Trombone Shorty joined him for a spirited version of “Higher” which brought the house down, as Jazz Fest head honcho Quint Davis said, “You have just been Becked”.
Robert Plant & his remarkable Band Of Joy closed out day one on the main Acura stage with what one might call a voodooed Appalachian barn burner. Wondering if there was any way that he could top the great set by fellow Brit Jeff Beck before him, Plant brought his game and just about caused the crowd to forget Beck had ever played just a few minutes prior.
It had a lot to do with guitarist Buddy Miller’s on fire playing. He was kicking out so many great solos, like on the almost reggaed interpretation of “Black Dog”, the Zeppelin classic “Misty Mountain Hop” and his spotlight song “Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go”. No wonder Rolling Stone Magazine deemed him the best sideman of the year.
The Band Of Joy has tightened up their rapport and seemed much more livelier than a year ago when they started their tour. Plant also seemed much more at ease, his joviality and his cat-like moves were refreshing in a non-ego sort of way. Slipping into the background more than once, he allowed his band to be singled out where they could shine in their own talents, ala Darrell Scott showcasing multi-instrumentation and Patty Griffin’s shining harmonies and acoustic guitar fretwork.
“Welcome to another extraordinary adventure of the Band Of Joy,” Plant seductively announced early in the set. With the sun shining on his still curly long mane, he gave an enthusiastic “Angel Dance” and a softly lamenting “Please Read The Letter”, after which he laughingly joked, “I feel much better after that”. “Monkey” was psychedelically slinky and “Ramble On” roared on like a freight train, coming to a halt with a satisfied jolt of energy.
In a light-hearted moment, Plant announced the wrong song, having what he called “a geritol moment”, before what-the-hecking and doing it anyway. And although he talked about Beck before his killer encore of “Gallows Pole”, the former Yardbird never materialized in what would have no doubt been a heartbeat-skipping moment of utter euphoria.
And this was only the beginning.
Mia Borders Setlist: Walk On By, Somethin’ Burnin’, She Don’t Know, Try Me On, What It’s Worth, Let Me Know, I Can, Use Me.
Jeff Beck Setlist: Plan B, Stratus, Hammerhead, People Get Ready, Rollin’ & Tumblin’, Big Black, Little Wing, Blue Wind, Brush With The Blues, Day In The Life, Higher, Nessun Dorma.
Robert Plant & Band Of Joy Setlist: Black Dog, Down To The Sea, Angel Dance, House Of Cards, Black Country Woman, Monkey, Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go, That’s The Way, A Satisfied Mind, Misty Mountain Hop, Ocean Of Tears, In The Mood, Please Read The Letter, Houses Of The Holy, Ramble On, Gallows Pole.
