It’s that time of year again — time to celebrate the weekend before Halloween by donning a costume and driving to New Orleans for the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience. For those who couldn’t make it, here’s what you missed on day one of Voodoo Fest.
Kehlani energizes the crowd
Taking over the Altar Stage, hip-hop singer Kehlani livened up the late afternoon crowd by belting out high notes and dancing her heart out. Her attire — a bright fuchsia skirt and white Converse High-Tops — matched her fun and lively stage persona. Two dancers accompanied her on stage, bringing additional energy to the performance.
While Kehlani performed some new songs for the first time, she wasn’t afraid to go back to her roots, playing songs from her original mixtapes like “Down for You.” She sang the opening lines of the track a capella, but not before setting her expectations from the audience: “I’m expecting y’all to know this because New Orleans is a soulful place.”
Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness gives touching speech
After his opening song, alternative singer-songwriter Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness reminisced on the last time he performed at Voodoo in 2006. New Orleans was still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, but McMahon was in the midst of a personal recovery, having been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia in 2005, he said.
The Toyota Music Den brings intimacy amid large crowd
Between the Forked Up Food Court and the ferris wheel lies a lesser-known spot, the Toyota Music Den. The tent features a small stage with a faux brick backdrop and a large disco ball, creating an intimate, laid-back environment you would not expect to find at a large music festival. Alternative singer Mondo Cozmo took the stage at 6 p.m. to play a brief 30-minute additional set after performing at the South Course stage two hours earlier.
Between songs, he chatted with the audience as if they were his old friends. Ending his set with his single “Shine,” he joked with the crowd during his guitar solo. “This is the Tom Petty part,” he said with a laugh.
LCD Soundsystem electrifies with sound and visuals
The crowd broke out their glow sticks, light sabers and, in some cases, unicorn masks for the first big act of the night, electronic rock group LCD Soundsystem. Electrifying the Altar Stage, the band’s accompaniments — lighting, smoke, sound effects and visuals — were a production all in themselves. Funky electronic beats mirrored the flashing, jumpy, saturated screen visuals that had the crowd glowing blue and green as they swayed to the music.
Kendrick Lamar takes it all in
The biggest act of the night, rapper Kendrick Lamar, commanded the stage as he closed out the night with songs from his 2017 album “DAMN.” as well as some throwbacks from “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City.” About halfway through his set, Lamar took a minute to step back and look at the massive crowd, spanning almost as far as the eye could see.
“I think this might just be the loudest city in the world,” he said. “Do you agree?” The roar that followed proved him correct.
