With one of the best festival lineups in the country, it’s no surprise this year’s Jazz i drew thousands of attendees.From the geriatric rockers excited to see idols like Simon & Garfunkel to a group I met who traveled from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to see Juan Luis Guerra y 400, the crowd out at the Fair Grounds was diverse.But it was missing a distinct element — Tigers.Aside from a few friends I happened to run into at the festival, I hardly saw anyone in the 18-22 age range, much less Tigers making the drive to New Orleans.Granted, headliners like Aretha Franklin and B.B. King hit their heyday before most students were born. But seeing these legends is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — and an opportunity unique to Jazz Fest.Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Simon & Garfunkel chose Jazz Fest to kick start their first tour together in more than six years. Thousands of festivalgoers — myself included — treked to the Acura Stage more than two hours before their 5:15 p.m. start time. And after they weaved through classics like “America,” “Keep the Customer Satisfied” and “Mrs. Robinson,” I realized Simon & Garfunkel were well worth the wait.A few songs into the show it was apparent Art Garfunkel, who was making his first Jazz Fest appearance, was having trouble with his harmonies. I later found out he was suffering from laryngitis, but nobody I talked to seemed to mind.Garfunkel left the stage an hour into the show to let Paul Simon churn out some solo hits, but he returned shortly after to perform “The Boxer,” much to the crowd’s appreciation.But the best moment of their historical appearance at the Fair Grounds was when Garfunkel belted out his lines through the pain for a moving rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”The duo came back for not one, but two encores, and the crowd never thinned out. But in addition to the legendary headlining  folk, hip-hop and R&B talent, the festival still made its promise of delivering a plethora of jazz and local musicians.This year’s Jazz Fest continuously offered live music among 12 stages and tents — that’s twice as many stages offered at Lollapalooza last year. And from the intimate performances in the Jazz, Blues and Gospel Tents to the always local rotation at the Jazz & Heritage Stage, festivalgoers from Louisiana and otherwise have a chance to see what New Orleans music is really like.Jazz Fest is also known for spontaneous collaborations. It’s not uncommon to see a single musician make several appearances onstage or for local talent to assemble a band exclusively for the festival.New Orleans legend Dr. John performed a solo set with his band The Lower 911 on Friday and appeared with the Voice of the Wetlands All Stars — along with Galactic drummer Stanton Moore and Meters bassist George Porter Jr. — on Sunday.Still, this hasn’t been enough to get a younger demographic out to Jazz Fest this year. Aside from what some may call a “washed up” lineup, my guess would be the prices for tickets.After Ticketmaster’s online fees and tax, my ticket to attend one day of the festival came out to a $72.50, making it difficult for any student on a budget to make it out there once, much less for all seven days of the festival.And because a regular ticket doesn’t come with in-and-out privileges, you’d either have to shell out for the overpriced food on the grounds or take the less advisable approach of not eating all day and making frequent trips to the water fountains — a route I took this past weekend.But Jazz Fest offers something no other American music festival can match — the unique culture that is New Orleans.Jazz Fest has the best food, music and atmosphere of any event you’ll go to all year.Suck it up, forgo a night in Tigerland and save up for an amazing experience this weekend, Tigers.—-Contact Ben Bourgeois at [email protected].