Click Here for continuing Voodoo coverage throughout the weekend
Masses of music lovers all over the country are revving their engines and heading to Louisiana for the top southern musical ride of the year.
 
The stellar annual music extravaganza, the Voodoo Experience, kicks off in New Orleans today, and students are flocking to The Big Easy to dive head-first into the madness.
 
Steve Rehage, founder and producer of the Voodoo Experience, said this year will be the festival’s 12th.
 
“This year’s gonna be great event,” he said. “We have a big line-up of artists. New Orleans is a music town, and we’re back up to pre-Katrina numbers.”
 
Rehage said he is an LSU graduate and former football player, but his Voodoo brainchild was born after moving to New York.
 
“I think when you grow up in Louisiana, specifically New Orleans, there’s music everywhere,” he said. “I went on to play football for the New York Giants and attended NYU where a lightbulb went off in my head, ‘That’s what I want to do with my life.’ Doing a music festival has always been in the back of my mind.”
 
After taking an entertainment marketing class, the festival took flight, Rehage said.
 
“Everything sort of hit all at once,” he said. “I realized I’d actually pulled it off and never looked back.”
 
Rehage said he’s proud the Voodoo Experience is one of the top 10 music festivals in the nation, even after the devastations of Katrina.
 
“The big element we’re bringing back is the electronic tent,” he said. “It used to be a staple, signature part of Voodoo, but after Katrina hit, we took the money we’d usually spend on DJs to give to local artists and local talent after music shops shut down. I’m pretty excited about it. We’ve got the hottest guy on the planet, Deadmau5.”
 
Rehage said he’s excited about Muse headlining.
 
“I like big rock stuff,” he said. “Muse is the biggest rock band in the world right now…It’s like Queen, Pink Floyd meets Radiohead.”
 
Voodoo stands out among festivals because Louisiana offers a completely different setting, Rehage said.
 
“Most people haven’t played at a venue like this before,” he said. “The bayou, oak trees combined with the light shows of bands like Weezer, MGMT — we’ve got a ton of great suff this year.”
 
Voodoo is something all students should experience, Rehage said.
 
“I scheduled it during an off week for football game, so obviously I want LSU students to come,” he said. “We’re throwing a lot of things into the pot to make a good gumbo, a great msical experience.”
 
Owen Clarke, who plays guitar, bass and synthesizer for Hot Chip, an English electropop band, said his band is intrigued by Louisiana and can’t wait to play at the festival.
 
“It’s a part of the world we’re very interested in,” he said. “For Alexis [Taylor, Hot Chip lead vocalist], the music up there and in the area is a fascination for him.”
 
People can expect an interesting performance from Hot Chip at Voodoo, Clarke said.
 
“Basically, it’s five English men playing keyboards and guitars and making sort of danceable pop music in an outdoor environment,” he said.
 
Brantley Senn, bassist and song-writer of the Georgia-based rock band, Dead Confederate, said he can’t wait to perform at Voodoo again.
 
“We played a day slot two years ago,” he said. “We like New Orleans a lot. It’s a good time.”
 
Senn said he enjoys music festivals and is looking forward to the killer line-up.
 
“I’m excited about seeing all the other acts that are playing,” he said. “Festivals are great because you get to see more bands in one place than you would anywhere else on any other night, so you can knock them all out at once.”
 
Trixie Minx, director and dancer of Fleur De Tease Burlesque Revue, a sexy, vaudeville-inspired show, said this is the fourth time they’ve performed at Voodoo.
 
“It’s the highlight of our year,” she said. “We get to see and perform with so many of our friends and other artists around the city and the world.”
 
Hayley Hanson, animal science freshman, said she might attend Voodoo tonight with a one-day pass.
 
“I’m so conflicted,” she said. “I want to check out Carlotta, but at the same time, I feel like Muse and Metric are calling my name. There’s just such a good line-up.”
 
Betsy Lamb, biology freshman, said she’s attended the festival twice in the past, but she’s most excited about this year.
 
“I mean, I just love Deadmau5. I love him. I can’t really say anything about anyone else.”