9/17/2006 (Sunday)

Deaner's Tour Diary

the last time we did this was opening for r.e.m. and there were about 15 to 20 thousand people there. i had no idea that it had become as big as it is. i think it's sort of becoming like jazz fest in new orleans or something. we got in on saturday night, just in time to catch some of willie's set. turns out he got busted like 12 hours later in louisiana. the festival grounds were huge, overwhelming actually. we came back the next afternoon to play our set, from 4:30 to 5:30 and again, i'm not sure how we did. i think it may have been okay, but i can't really say. afterwards, claude and i saw the sleeper show of the weekend, the new orleans social club, in a tiny little tent with about 800 people. the n.o.s.c. is george porter and leo nocentelli from the meters, ivan neville, and a bunch of other displaced new orleans legends that are now living in austin since katrina. it was like our own private mardi gras and the music was FUNKY, the perfect way to end our summer tour. i danced so much that my feet hurt. buddy miles sat in with them and afterwards we got to meet him and shake his hand. i got to shake the hand of buddy miles from the band of gypsies, and that right there validated the whole trip to texas in itself.