All good things must come to an end, but Voodoo Music + Arts Experience refused to go out without a bang. From the day’s opening acts to the closing headliners, the final day of Voodoo did not disappoint.
Cold War Kids rocks out the afternoon
Alternative band Cold War Kids returned to Voodoo, their first time playing the festival since 2009. With a tambourine in his hand, lead singer Nathan Willett came out on stage ready to put on a high energy show playing both older tracks and newer tracks from their 2017 album “L.A. Divine.”
Before Cold War Kids played “Mexican Dogs” from their 2008 album “Loyalty to Loyalty,” Willett told the crowd the track has taken on a new meaning recently and dedicated the performance to those living with the fear of being deported. “We’re all with you, and we got your back,” Willett said. Later in their set, the band took of Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain” adding an alternative edge to the R&B hit.
Aminé encourages crowd
After playing crowd-pleasers like TLC’s “No Scrubs” and Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow,” Aminé hyped up the crowd with some words of encouragement, “When I say you’re beautiful,” I want you to say, ‘I know.’” The exchange occurred multiple times throughout his set. “Y’all are cocky,” he joked.
The Head and the Heart brings the folk
Playing the Altar Stage after Cold War Kids, indie folk band The Head and the Heart was a chiller act than some of the harder rock artists of the weekend but was certainly no less impressive. Singer Charity Rose Thielen’s solos contained melodic notes that carried throughout the festival grounds in City Park and her violin accompaniment during “Down in the Valley” was breathtaking. As their set came to a close, the band played an emotional rendition of “River and Roads” as the sun went down, making for an intimate moment with the crowd despite the large crowd in attendance.
The Killers close out the weekend with the grandest of finales
From the moment rock band The Killers walked onstage to the late Fats Domino’s “Walking in New Orleans,” it was clear they were happy to be in the Big Easy. When the band opened with their 2004 smash hit “Mr. Brightside,” the crowd went wild. Before launching into “Somebody Told Me” — another crowd favorite — lead singer Brandon Flowers told the audience of the band’s Las Vegas roots. “We don’t have alligator cheesecake on the strip, but we do have this,” he said.
Following up with the band’s introduction, The Killers brought out the brass to play Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame” as a tribute to the rock ‘n’ roll pioneer and Louisiana native who died last week. Flowers recalled memories of driving around listening to the artist with his dad, driving around in a 1949 Buick. “When Fats Domino came on, we always turned it up,” Flowers said.
Not only were the vocals and instrumentals superb but the show’s visuals added another dimension to the performance. Purple confetti during “The Man” and white confetti during All These Things That I’ve Done” were definitely crowd-pleasers. So were the bright, multi-colored lasers beaming into crowd. Closing out their set and the festival as a whole, The Killers played “When You Were Young” featuring an extensive firework show that lit up the night sky. Talk about going out with a bang.
