The crowd really didn’t seem to want to leave, and I didn’t either, but all good things must come to an end. I was facing a six hour drive back to Memphis that I could not postpone due to jury duty, and some of the bands, like the Hot 8, incredibly had only a brief rest period before having to be at another engagement. But I came away from the second-line experience with a feeling of exhiliration more than one of fatigue. Somehow, as I stopped in rather ordinary Metairie for coffee and food on the way out of town, it seemed as if I had passed between worlds. With I-10 gridlocked for some reason (perhaps the Saints game), I headed north across the Causeway instead, and back to Memphis, my mind replaying the day’s amazing scenes.
Uptown with the Young Men Olympian and the TBC Brass Band
Sherena had never been to a second-line, so on our weekend trip to New Orleans, I wanted her to experience one first-hand. And by chance, …