I’ve lived in Louisiana my whole life. I was born and raised near New Orleans for 13 years of my life. All of that time and I have never been to the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience. I have never been to a music festival at all for that matter. Not if you count seeing Hilary Duff when you’re eight at the New Orleans Arena. And it is something I, personally, do not.
High school was when many of my friends started going to music festivals. From Buku to Jazz Fest, there were many weekends spent in front of stages just hanging with friends. I was never too worried about making it to the festivals. I didn’t know what I was missing and I didn’t mind it too much. The only difficult thing was hearing your friends exclaim that you have never truly lived if you’ve never been to Voodoo Fest. Therefore, it stands to reason my life just began the moment I parked in New Orleans City Park and stepped through the gate.
It was nothing like I ever could have expected. As soon as I entered the park my mind was blown. There was so much to look at I didn’t know how I was going to take it in. I felt like a dog on the side of a freeway not knowing which car to chase. Even the lines were incomprehensible to me. Just to get in to the event too? When I was walking up I was thinking to myself, “People wait in these ridiculous lines? I guess it must be worth it.”
So there I was inside the realm where music history is made. I had no idea that there would be so many booths. In my naivety, I assumed there was only music and food at these things. Not only were there booths, but rides too?
Walking around Voodoo Fest is one thing, but it is a whole other thing altogether to hear your first band. Let me start off this by saying I enjoy almost every type of music. I was looking over the schedule when I realized that I did not know half of the people scheduled to play. However, after a second glance I found one that was recognizable. Rise Against. Yes, that was it. I made my decision and made my way toward the front. As soon as they started, I could feel my whole chest pounding. I mean I actually felt every vibration as the drummer hit the foot drum. I never knew I would be able to feel the music too. It was sensory overload. It was also the day I fully understood what a mosh pit meant. It means a bunch of sweaty people who push, shove and downright jump on top of each other, while making the people around them wish they were on the other side of the stage. My eyes grew wide as I saw it coming my way and I inched myself away. I don’t think I am quite ready for that yet. Baby steps.
Another thing that just blew me away was the magnitude of these stages. When I went to the Arena the stage seemed so small. It could have been because I was only eight. Or it could have been the fact that Hilary was an ant on the stage from my perspective. At Voodoo there was not one stage, but four. I could not believe the jumbo screens they had on the side of the stage. It looked like it could be the size of a small house. I can understand it though, because when you have hundreds of heads jumping to the beat it helps to look up and see the artists face looming before you.
Right before attending Voodoo I was informed about the costumes. I assumed maybe a handful of hardcore Halloween fans would be dressed up. Oh was I wrong. I felt out of place with my normal clothes. People really put a lot of time into this. I saw people with intricate face paintings and lace corsets and others with inflatable suits. The sky was the limit and the people at Voodoo hit the stars. While I walked around, I found myself trying to find the person with the best costume. As soon as I left, I decided I would start planning my costume in January. Just to be ready.
All in all it was an experience I will never forget. I will admit, there were some things that I would do differently.