The big news this week was not campus demonstrators or Lump’s trial or the NBA playoffs. No, ‘round here, the biggest story was that, after decades of dreaming, Quint Davis finally got the Rolling Stones to play the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
The event was the most-hyped phenom in recent memory, dominating the local evening news, correspondents reporting from inside the Fair Grounds and the street parties outside the gates.
The usual restrictions imposed at the Fest were more draconian than ever for the show. Attendees were forbidden the usual camp chairs or ground tarps and stood packed shoulder to shoulder waiting for the band to play. Other stages went dark, with only the Stones on giant TVs. Craft vendors near the stage had to shut down their booths hours early to help manage the crowd.
And what a crowd. In a heavy year, the Festival will average 60K attendees or so a day. I haven’t seen figures for Thursday, but have to assume it was heavily attended, with all those folks trying to converge on one stage at close of day. It was, by all accounts, a massive gathering.
And, judging by the coverage, a very white and not-quite-teenage gathering. In many photos of the crowd, I couldn’t see much melanin at all.
It was also a wealthier-than-average crowd, too. Not everyone has $225 to throw down to see a band, let alone pay for travel, lodging, food, booze, etc. etc.
It got me thinking about the potential politics of the day’s attendees, and that, with those demographics, it’s quite likely a number held the conviction that the current president is too old.
After all, can you really expect 80-year-olds to reliably perform such a grueling, demanding job?