Blown Inn

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We blew into New Orleans at about 4pm. There had been only a bit of rain and wind during the drive and we had enjoyed a great view of Lake Ponchitrain as we entered the city. Tyler and I started to unpack the car and then I ran in to get our keys. The vieja mujeres about drove Tyler crazy asking him to get their stuff right away and Joyce trying to pull her walker out of the cargo bag before it had even been fully unzipped. By the time I had us checked in every thing was on a cart for the bellman to take up and Tyler was pretty well red in the face. Tyler and I hustled off to get him checked into his room at the Hampton Inn Convention Center and he vented his frustrations to me about being micro-managed. I told him that if it happened again to go with blunt talk "do you want to unload everyone's things or will you be quiet and let me get this done?"
I got Tyler and Milliken squared away and after accidentally sending Tyler to the wrong tower waited for him to come back down. He did eventually and told me what I had done and we zipped back to my hotel and left the car with valet. At this point it was just after 5pm and everyone was hungry. Tyler, Caroline, Abcde and I set off toward Lafayette Square for Wednesday in the Square, a weekly music and food event that starts in the spring and goes through the summer
Wednesday in the Square
. Tyler and I have enjoyed it before and it is a nice way to start of the long festival weekend. On our way we left Vallery and Joyce at the first trolley stop. The trolley went past our hotel and after turning on Canal returns out St. Charles to the Garden District, actually passing Lafayette Square in case they wanted to join us. They ended up heading out to the Garden District and "eating like pigs at Mr. Eds".
Playing at Wednesday in the Square was George Porter, Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, opened by RumpleSTEELSkin. We walked up to the crowd after the music had started and after surveying the vendors, found a space to set up our chairs and leave Caroline and Abcde while Tyler and I bought tickets to then buy food. (I really do not understand why events set it up this way, it is just a pain to have to wait through 2 lines and then have to return to the first one if you need more tickets, or if you overbuy from the first line you have no way to get your money back) I started out buying a brisket quesadilla and a Cajun nachos. Tyler got the pulled pork and, as it was a hit with Abcde, I returned to the lines and got one of those too.

RumpleSTEELSkin
Born from a Jazzfest Jam session, RumpelSTEELskin combines rock and funk
with Ed Williams’(The Revivalists) amazingly unique vocal influenced
Steel Guitar. Influenced by guitarists and soul singers of the 60’s and
70’s, Ed leads a rotating musical force that brings the New Orleans
spirit to gospel, rock and funk Pedal Steel Guitar. Members include
George Gekas (The Revivalists) on bass, Michael Girardot (The
Revivalists) on keys and David Shirley(Cardinal Sons) on Drums.

George Porter, Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners
Few bass players in the history of modern New Orleans music are as
storied as George Porter Jr. During the course of a career spanning more
then four decades, Porter has not only made a deep impression with his
work in the Meters, but he’s notched session work with artists as
diverse as Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett, David Byrne, Patti LaBelle,
Robbie Robertson, Tori Amos, Taj Mahal, Ryan Montbleau and live
performances with Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Warren Haynes, John
Scofield, Steve Kimock, Eric Krasno (and including recent studio
releases with Warren Haynes and Bill Kreutzmann) just to name a few.
Early in his career, Porter worked with seminal New Orleans artists like
Allen Toussaint, Earl King, Lee Dorsey, and Johnny Adams, Irma Thomas,
The Lastie Brothers again to only name a few.

The music was good, the weather was in the 80s at dusk but with an unbelievable amount of wind. Tyler had wandered away toward the stage when Caroline decided we had been buffeted enough and needed to take Abs back and put her down for the night. We gathered up our chairs and took Tyler's too when we couldn't get him to answer his phone. He can have it back when we see him tomorrow.

*Band descriptions in italics have been copied from their biographies, either on their websites or the French Quarter Fest website.

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