Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans in late August 2005 devastating vital aspects of its neighborhoods. Music venues were no exception.
As residents returned, the local venues picked up the pieces and reclaimed their places in the lives of the many New Orleanians that frequent them.
Ten years later, the music community has proved resilient, with old favorites cementing themselves as staples in communities.
1- Maple Leaf Bar
Located on Oak Street in Uptown New Orleans, Maple Leaf Bar experienced a short closure of less than a week after the storm. The bar’s only amount of damage was losing a portion of its roof.
It hosted its first live music show after Katrina at the end of September 2005, where Walter “Wolfman” Washington performed.
Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, owner Hank Staples said the bar is doing much better business than it was before the storm.
2- Rock N’ Bowl
Considered a cemented part of the New Orleans music community since it opened in 1989, Rock N’ Bowl reopened its original location on Carrollton Avenue in late fall 2005, but since 2009, it has operated from a new location down the street.
Owner John Blancher said the venue’s reopening was an emotional experience for patrons, connecting friends and families.
Blancher adds that Rock N’ Bowl has emotional ties to the city’s residents who have grown up with the business and are now experiencing it again with their children.
3- Saenger Theatre
The historic Saenger Theatre, which opened in 1927, reopened more than eight years after Hurricane Katrina.
Arts Center Enterprises General Manager David Skinner, who manages both the Saenger and the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts, said the goal of the venue’s renovations was to bring the building back to its original ornate design. He said there are very few venues in The Big Easy considered as iconic as the Saenger.
4- Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts
The venue, which opened in the early 1970s and reopened in early 2009, served as a replacement for the Saenger Theatre after Hurricane Katrina.
Skinner said he recognizes the Mahalia Jackson filled a gap for the performing arts in New Orleans, and without it, the city would have experienced a loss in the availability of the performing arts.
5- Tipitina’s
Zack Feinberg, of the band the Revivalists, got his start at local bar Tipitina’s when he met Andrew Campanelli, the band’s drummer.
Feinberg credits Tipitina’s, which opened in 1977, for giving his band a platform to begin its career. He said Tipitina’s is as close to a home base that a venue can offer.