Further down MLK, we passed the Project Food Store, across the street from a new townhome development that must have once been the site of the Melpomene Project. The crowds were thick along the street, and even the sidestreets all the way down to St. Charles, where we turned to head southwest.
Young Men Olympian
I had moved between bands and divisions during the second-line, but from Claiborne Avenue on I decided to stay behind the Hot 8 Brass Band, who were keeping the groove with an intensity that belied how hot and tired they had to be. Past a Church’s Fried Chicken, we swung around onto Martin Luther King, a divided thoroughfare that used to be called Melpomene. The street wasn’t as wide as Claiborne, and the crowds were thick on both sides. Some had parked in the neutral ground, or set up folding chairs there, and one man had set up a barbecue grill and was selling food. The smell drifted invitingly over the parade route.
I had moved between bands and divisions during the second-line, but from Claiborne Avenue on I decided to stay behind the Hot 8 Brass Band, who were keeping the groove with an intensity that belied how hot and tired they had to be. Past a Church’s Fried Chicken, we swung around onto Martin Luther King, a divided thoroughfare that used to be called Melpomene. The street wasn’t as wide as Claiborne, and the crowds were thick on both sides. Some had parked in the neutral ground, or set up folding chairs there, and one man had set up a barbecue grill and was selling food. The smell drifted invitingly over the parade route.
I had moved between bands and divisions during the second-line, but from Claiborne Avenue on I decided to stay behind the Hot 8 Brass Band, who were keeping the groove with an intensity that belied how hot and tired they had to be. Past a Church’s Fried Chicken, we swung around onto Martin Luther King, a divided thoroughfare that used to be called Melpomene. The street wasn’t as wide as Claiborne, and the crowds were thick on both sides. Some had parked in the neutral ground, or set up folding chairs there, and one man had set up a barbecue grill and was selling food. The smell drifted invitingly over the parade route.
After the extended break at Big Man Lounge, the parade resumed, swinging onto Claiborne Avenue, which was the biggest thoroughfare of the route so far, and the crowd swelled to hundreds, lining every parking lot. By now, people in the crowd knew that the Saints had won their game at the Superdome, and that only added to the festive mood. As we approached a former Pizza Hut that was boarded up and closed, I suddenly realized that two very young boys were dancing up on its slanted roof. I immediately became worried, wondering if any responsible adult knew they were up there, and when they seemed to be considering climbing further up to the very top of the roof, I became more worried still. But just as we passed, they slid down to the gutter, where hands of nearby spectators reached up to grab them and pull them gently down.
After the extended break at Big Man Lounge, the parade resumed, swinging onto Claiborne Avenue, which was the biggest thoroughfare of the route so far, and the crowd swelled to hundreds, lining every parking lot. By now, people in the crowd knew that the Saints had won their game at the Superdome, and that only added to the festive mood. As we approached a former Pizza Hut that was boarded up and closed, I suddenly realized that two very young boys were dancing up on its slanted roof. I immediately became worried, wondering if any responsible adult knew they were up there, and when they seemed to be considering climbing further up to the very top of the roof, I became more worried still. But just as we passed, they slid down to the gutter, where hands of nearby spectators reached up to grab them and pull them gently down.
After the extended break at Big Man Lounge, the parade resumed, swinging onto Claiborne Avenue, which was the biggest thoroughfare of the route so far, and the crowd swelled to hundreds, lining every parking lot. By now, people in the crowd knew that the Saints had won their game at the Superdome, and that only added to the festive mood. As we approached a former Pizza Hut that was boarded up and closed, I suddenly realized that two very young boys were dancing up on its slanted roof. I immediately became worried, wondering if any responsible adult knew they were up there, and when they seemed to be considering climbing further up to the very top of the roof, I became more worried still. But just as we passed, they slid down to the gutter, where hands of nearby spectators reached up to grab them and pull them gently down.
The Young Men Olympian Second-Line In Front of the Dew Drop Inn 2011
Many of the uptown projects in New Orleans have been torn down and replaced by modern-looking townhomes, but the residents still poured out onto front porches and lawns to see the second-line as it passed down LaSalle Avenue. Over to my left I spied the legendary Dew Drop Inn, an African-American nightclub and hotel that launched the careers of many great musicians and singers. Although closed since Katrina, the sturdy building survived the monster storm, and there is talk of renovation and reopening. Turning onto Louisiana Avenue, we came to Big Man Lounge, apparently a known gathering spot for brass bands and second-liners. Here the bands actually came to a stop, and the members of the Young Men Olympian disappeared inside the lounge for a rest and a refreshment. Hearing my name called, I turned around to see Edward Jackson, the trombonist with To Be Continued who was marching today with the Hot 8, who gathered out in the neutral ground of Louisiana Avenue near the lounge.
As we approached a church on Washington Avenue, we noticed that people seemed to have come outside to watch us pass. The band in front broke into a slow version of “Just A Closer Walk”, I thought at first as a respectful gesture to the congregation that was clearly still meeting. However, I soon realized that it was because of the cemetery in the next block, an ancient one with the above-ground tombs that remind New Orleanians that those who have passed are still among them, and so the song was in honor of the dead. Not just the dead of the cemetery, I imagined, but probably the deceased members of Young Men Olympian, the deceased band members, those who lost their lives in Katrina, those who were cut down all too young through neighborhood violence. African-Americans in New Orleans often say “God bless the dead” after mentioning a deceased person, and the city is no stranger to death. But the city is also an affirmation of life, and the band soon followed the dirge with “I’ll Fly Away”, the mirror image, which reminds us that what is grief for loved ones is bliss for the departed. Past the cemetery, the party atmosphere returned, but it is appropriate that New Orleanians will pause the party long enough to honor the dead.
As we approached a church on Washington Avenue, we noticed that people seemed to have come outside to watch us pass. The band in front broke into a slow version of “Just A Closer Walk”, I thought at first as a respectful gesture to the congregation that was clearly still meeting. However, I soon realized that it was because of the cemetery in the next block, an ancient one with the above-ground tombs that remind New Orleanians that those who have passed are still among them, and so the song was in honor of the dead. Not just the dead of the cemetery, I imagined, but probably the deceased members of Young Men Olympian, the deceased band members, those who lost their lives in Katrina, those who were cut down all too young through neighborhood violence. African-Americans in New Orleans often say “God bless the dead” after mentioning a deceased person, and the city is no stranger to death. But the city is also an affirmation of life, and the band soon followed the dirge with “I’ll Fly Away”, the mirror image, which reminds us that what is grief for loved ones is bliss for the departed. Past the cemetery, the party atmosphere returned, but it is appropriate that New Orleanians will pause the party long enough to honor the dead.