Mark another year off the calendar, Voodoo Fest 2012 is officially done.
The final day began early for New Orleans indie-pop group Royal Teeth, who did their best to work with a 12:30 slot and a cold front that made most people more inclined to huddle under blankets than to get on their feet. Despite the timing and weather, a fair amount of people turned up to see them, and the quality of their set managed to get the crowd dancing.
The rest of the early afternoon sets were dominated by New Rebel Family on the main stage. The Mississippi band found a way to energize a crowd largely unfamiliar with them by putting their funk-meets-hip-hop spin on a medley of classic songs like “Eleanor Rigby” and pop tunes like “Wide Awake.” They blended these familiar sounds into their original material by incorporating their own lyrics into famous Ozzy riffs, and the crowd stayed with them.
A scheduling mix-up and an unexpected cancellation by electropop singer/rapper Dev meant that most of the afternoon sets at the Red Bulletin stage had to be rearranged, sending many confused attendees wandering in search of somewhere else to go in the mid-afternoon. The Models and Marcia Ball played back to back sets on the same stage for a double-dose of New Orleans-tinged jam sessions — ‘80s new wave for The Models and roadhouse blues for Marcia Ball, both setting a steady groove. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Bounce Azztravaganza delivered all of the heavy beats, brash rhymes and booty twerkin’ the name suggests.
Things got back on track when Coheed and Cambria took the main stage. Fellow Reveille writer Taylor Schoen and I got a chance to talk to the band before their set, and their excitement and creative energy showed in their performance. Frontman Claudio Sanchez and his emblematic mane of frizzy hair anchored the set while the rest of the band worked together to bring in the elements of new prog, metal, electronic and post-hardcore that rounded it out.
After adjusting to a few setbacks, the Red Bulletin stage welcomed grammy-winning electronic powerhouse Skrillex right on schedule. The size of the crowd for Skrillex’s performance quickly grew out of control, even as rap superstar Nas laid down his set at the same time. People flung glow sticks in the air and climbed up onto shoulders as Skrillex jumped around behind his turntables, periodically shouting into the microphone to encourage the frantic energy of the immense crowd. Pyrotechnics, lasers, bass that shook the ground and a remix of the Fresh Prince theme song made the set much more than just a man standing on stage and pressing “play.”
The final act of Voodoo Fest could not have ended the festival on a better note. Following a strong set by Nas, Jack White stepped on stage and blew the roof off with the best set of the weekend. Beyond stellar renditions of fan favorites like “Blunderbuss” and “Steady As She Goes,” White and his band have a visceral kind of chemistry that makes their unstructured instrumental breakdowns as captivating as any well-loved single. White’s pinstriped suit and rockabilly flair mixed with ripping guitar and crushing beats seemed the perfect vibe for the end of Voodoo. By the time White and his band busted out “Seven Nation Army” for the encore, the crowd had screamed itself hoarse.
Another year, another explosive finale, another page in the history of New Orleans’ celebration of good music.
