Voodoo Experience 2008: Friday In Videos

We had a phenomenal time at the Voodoo Experience in New Orleans last weekend - hope you were there to take part in all the action. We're working on putting our musical adventures into words and editing the tons of photos we took; we'll have our full coverage up shortly. In the meantime, enjoy some videos we captured of Friday night's festivities!

View the rest of our Voodoo Friday videos after the jump

Saturday, October 25, the second day of the 2008 Voodoo Experience in New Orleans' City Park, was even more action packed than day one. Performers we saw included Lil Wayne, Bonerama, Rotary Downs, Thievery Corporation, The Mars Volta, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, The New Orleans Bingo! Show, Vermillion Lies, Ghostland Observatory and Nine Inch Nails.

Read more about Saturday, October 25 at the 2008 Voodoo Experience after the jump

Words by Cereal with additional reporting from Toast
Photos by Eggs and Toast

We began our day with a leisurely lunch with friends at the Napoleon House in the French Quarter, where the food was excellent but the service was rather slow. Because of this, we arrived at the festival a bit later than intended. Dallas' Old 97's were well into their set on the SoCo stage as we entered the grounds, but we made our way directly to the main stage area, where Manchester Orchestra were finishing up.

Across the field, a sizable crowd was already gathered in anticipation of hometown hero Lil Wayne's set, which had an appropriately chosen start time of 4:20. Clouds of smoke could be seen wafting above the festival-goers' heads. Weezy's biggest-ever headlining set in New Orleans was certainly an event, and instead of trying to summarize it here, we're working up a separate post altogether.

Although their name might make you giggle like a ten-year-old boy, Bonerama are serious about their extra-brassy brand of New Orleans funk. Their addition of a guitarist and bassist lends a harder edge to their sound. The band nodded to the venerable masters of NOLA funk, The Meters, with a song played in tribute. While good, Bonerama wasn't my favorite brass funk set of the weekend.

After we left Bonerama, Eggs and I wandered over to the Noomoon area to see if Fishbone were playing yet. They weren't, but Rotary Downs' set was still going strong in the Bingo! Parlour, so we stopped in for a few songs. This New Orleans-based indie rock band was possibly my favorite find of the weekend. I'd never heard of them before, and after stumbling into their set, I'm surprised that they didn't cross my radar sooner. With their energetic stage presence and their ability to deftly incorporate elements of other styles of music like alt-country and chamber pop, they quickly gained at least two more fans in Eggs and myself.

Fishbone still hadn't appeared on the Noomoon stage, so we headed straight over to the Playstation/Billboard.com stage for Thievery Corporation's set. Though I've been a fan of the DJ duo's work for several years, I'd never seen them live before this year's Rothbury Festival. They delivered what was without a doubt one of my favorite sets of that entire festival, and I expected no less from them at Voodoo. DJs Rob Garza and Eric Hilton were surrounded by a cast of supporting musicians, including a sitarist, trumpeter, saxophonist, guitarist, bassist and bongo player. A belly dancer also lent her talents to the live performance, as did several vocalists who rotated duties throughout the show. This late afternoon set had a completely different feel than the late-night show I'd caught at Rothbury, but was no less good. They got their best-known song, "Lebanese Blonde," out of the way early, and spent the rest of the set demonstrating their world music prowess. Their signature lounge bossa nova style prevailed, but the band also delved into diverse genres such as Afrobeat, funk, acid jazz and dub. Thievery Corporation are nothing if not versatile, which is why guest vocalists from a variety of backgrounds are able to blend so seamlessly with their music. A set highlight for me was a lively cover of Sly & the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" led by a couple of guest MCs. Several tracks from Thievery Corporation's newest studio effort, Radio Retaliation, were also included. I have to admit, the set did have one definite low point for me: one of the female vocalists addressed the crowd, saying, "I wanted to surf you, but yesterday they dropped me." The band had been in Houston the night before. No wonder so many bands skip this city! Come play in Houston and you'll probably get dropped.

Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk was next up on the BOT itinerary. Though we'd seen various Neville family members perform in other musical projects, we'd never before seen Dumpstaphunk. They were quite possibly my favorite of all the funk bands I saw while at Voodoo this year. Ivan Neville and drummer Raymond Weber frequently traded vocal duties for the first half of the set, then later invited bayou soul singer Marc Broussard onstage for a crowd-pleasing singalong version of Parliament's "Unfunky UFO." Eric Krasno of Soulive also guested during the set, helping out with guitar duties.

We left Dumpstaphunk and stopped by the Asics table, where the newly-minted world's largest Lite-Brite was display, then headed over to see what the Bingo! Parlour's namesake band had to offer. Just as we entered the tent, however, The New Orleans Bingo! Show left the stage, and sister act Vermillion Lies stepped into their spot. One sister sported a drawn-on handlebar mustache and black bustier; the other wore a red plaid dress complete with petticoat; both were odd. Their music might be described as cabaret folk, with plenty of camp thrown in. I'd give them another shot if they came through Houston on tour, but their bizarre lyrics just didn't do it for me at Voodoo.

After Vermillion Lies hammered out a few of their original tunes, The New Orleans Bingo! Show returned to the stage.

One of Voodoo's main highlights for many festival attendees was Saturday's performance by The Mars Volta. This band has become well-regarded due to their over-the-top stage show that's heavy on rock peppered with ample nuggets of experimental noise. The show kicked off abruptly and with fury. The screaming of lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala at the start of the set immediately sent the crowd into a rage. Bixler-Zavala made his way into the press pit violently, shoving one camera man out of the way while ripping open the shirt of another and making his way close to the audience. I had expected more of their typical jam sessions that sometimes can grow quite monotonous, but the Mars Volta’s set was beautifully laced mostly with screaming rock, successfully winning the crowd over. Drummer Thomas Pridgen was nothing short of spectacular, cranking out beats with a quickness that likely to throw a bunch of people into convulsions. The brief but amazing set proved to be one of my favorite and most action packed sets of the evening, and served as the perfect pre-party for Nine Inch Nails' headlining set.

Closing out the Playstation stage for the night were Austin-based electrofunk luminaries Ghostland Observatory. Vocalist/guitarist/badass Aaron Behrens and keyboardist/percussionist/cape wearer Thomas Ross Turner entered the smoke-obscured stage kicked off with one of their best known songs, "Piano Man" from 2006's Paparazzi Lightning. Their laser light show was intense from the start, with the beams constantly changing color and shape and illuminating the haze being pumped out of onstage smoke machines. The electrifying duo served up a generous helping of the outstanding live show for which they've become known. Highlights included Paparazzi Lightning favorites such as "Sad Sad City" and "Stranger Lover," as well as a smattering of songs from their newest studio effort, Robotique Majestique.

Trent Reznor and his band, Nine Inch Nails, were set to headline and cap off our Saturday evening. For the whole day, the main stage had been sporting a cage-like apparatus that had people wondering what it would be used for. We were later tipped off by a buddy that it would be used during the NIN set, and that it would be advisable to find a comfortable spot with a clear view of the show because we were in for a treat. The set started off with a few newer songs with which we were unfamiliar, and it was a bit surprising to hear that they were based on a slightly pop/funk mix that was uncharacteristic of Nails. The classics soon followed, however, as they tore into "March of the Pigs" to get the fans worked up. A clean cut Reznor then let the mood simmer a bit by taking to the piano with an intimate version of "The Frail," only to ignite things again with an obligatory version of "Closer." Nails continuously went from hard to soft, all the while maintaining the crowd's attention. Another of many highlights of the set was "Head Like a Hole," a single from the band's debut album Pretty Hate Machine.

Remember the cage-like structure we mentioned just a moment ago? That thing turned out to be two huge LED mesh-like screens; one hung behind the band, the other in front. They were responsible for the most incredible light show that we've ever experienced at a concert. Various images were projected onto them throughout the show, and there was no end to the special effects that could be accomplished with them. It seemed as if Reznor and Nails may have even gained a few new fans that night – we heard folks talking who thought they were going to hear nothing but heavy guitar riffs and industrial beats, but found themselves surprised by the depth and scope of Reznor's musicianship. The stage show was second to none, and in BOT’s opinion, the best of the weekend.

After Nine Inch Nails' satisfying headlining set was over, we loaded back into the car and headed for the French Quarter. This time, we bypassed most of the Bourbon Street craziness and instead headed to Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. This candle-lit tavern has been called the "oldest continually occupied bar in the United States" and is just really freaking cool in general. Check it out. Order the Voodoo Juice. It looks like drank and tastes like grape popsicles.

Check out our other Voodoo 2008 coverage:

Friday
Review
Photos
Videos

Saturday
Review
Photos
Videos

Sunday
Review
Photos
Videos

--Cereal