The Men of Class second-line heading up Martin Luther King Boulevard with the Stooges Brass Band, Uptown New Orleans, 10/21/12
Uptown
The Men of Class at Sportsman’s Corner
The Men of Class second-line arriving at Sportsman’s Corner, Second and Dryades, Uptown New Orleans, 10/21/12
Leaving Joe’s House of Blues
The Men of Class second-line leaving Joe’s House of Blues and continuing on their route, Uptown New Orleans, 10/21/12
Men of Class at Joe’s House of Blues, New Orleans
The Men of Class 2012 taking a break in front of Joe’s House of Blues at Seventh and Dryades, Uptown New Orleans, 10/21/12
Men of Class at Joe’s House of Blues, New Orleans
The stops along a second-line route are primarily places for the parading organization to show honor and respect to other organizations (and vice versa), but large crowds gather at these spots, many of which are traditionally-significant locations, so the intersections become sudden venues, at which dancers show off their creativity and skill and vendors sell their food, drinks or other products. Note the second-liner who is dancing on the roof of Joe’s House of Blues, Uptown New Orleans, 10/21/12
The Men of Class Second-Line Uptown
The Men of Class second-line works its way through Uptown to Joe’s House of Blues at Seventh and Dryades. This neighborhood bar is known as a venue for Mardi Gras Indian practices, and also has the occasional live blues or soul band. 10/21/12
A Second-Line and the Sandpiper Lounge
The Men of Class second-line heads down Louisiana Avenue past the Sandpiper Lounge, which looks as if it hasn’t changed a bit since 1957, Uptown New Orleans, 10/21/12
From Big Man’s Lounge down Louisiana Avenue
The Men of Class second-line moves on from Big Man’s Lounge south along Louisiana Avenue in Uptown, with the Stooges Brass Band, 10/21/12
Taking A Break at Big Man’s Lounge
The Men of Class second-line stops near Big Man’s Lounge, where they are joined by the Sisters With Class, 10/21/12
Second-Lining Uptown with the Men of Class
Some scholars believe that second-lines in New Orleans derive from West African practices of parading and drumming around a village in order to bless it or protect it from evil. But in New Orleans, the day’s activities involve more than parading and playing music, for the procession stops at a number of places where the social aid and pleasure club that is parading will salute another club. This takes on the aspect of ritual, and thus second-lines serve to build ties and alliances within New Orleans’ inner-city neighborhoods, 10/21/12