New Orleans Jazz Fest insider tips from a 44-year veteran

You’d be hard pressed to find a more loyal group of festivalgoers than New Orleans Jazz Fest fans.

Come rain or shine, heat waves, mud pits or natural disasters, these Hawaiian-shirt-wearing fanatics say there’s nothing quite like it. This year, Jazz Fest will be from April 25 to May 5 at the Fair Grounds Race Course, 1751 Gentilly Blvd.

As a first-time attendee this April, I decided to prepare by reaching out to one of the festival’s most devoted disciples.

James O’Byrne, former features editor at the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, has attended Jazz Fest for the past 44 years. Finally, this spring — after nearly half a century and a move to France — getting festival tickets simply wasn’t in the cards.

O’Byrne is now passing his wisdom to the newcomers.

Jazz Fest tips from a veteran — James O'Byrne, right, is pictured with friend Bill Taylor, center, and wife Paula O'Byrne, left, at New Orleans Jazz Fest. Note the classic festival shirts.James O'Byrne

Question: What is so special about Jazz Fest, when compared to other festivals?

Answer: I think that Jazz Fest is the greatest expression of what makes New Orleans and Louisiana special. A lot of people say Mardi Gras is that, and I do love Mardi Gras ... but I think Jazz Fest is actually the true expression of what makes the city great. In terms of music, the love of music, and the love of food.

The festival is very New Orleans-specific in a way that many other festivals are not specific to their city. There’s only one Congo Square stage. There’s only one Economy Hall Jazz tent.

Q: What’s the best method of getting to and from the festival?

A: So, the secret is to walk past where everyone turns into Fortin Street (the Gentilly Pedestrian Entrance).

Keep going through the neighborhood, then turn right on Sauvage, and go in at the Sauvage Gate (the Sauvage Pedestrian Entrance) instead. Because people will be lined up on Fortin, and you don’t need to line up in that line. And now that I’ve said that, I’ve ruined it for everyone.

Q: Do you have a must-eat food when you get into the fairgrounds?

A: I personally always start with Prejean’s pheasant quail andouille gumbo, which is nature’s perfect food. I prefer not to talk while eating my Prejean’s gumbo. I need to focus. But I once had a man next to me who asked me: “How is that gumbo?”

And I said, “Well, it is the greatest gumbo in the world.”

And usually I don’t talk during eating it, but he seemed like a nice guy, so I felt like I should respond. It turned out to be Mr. Prejean himself. He gave me like three free tokens for more gumbo.

Q: That’s pretty amazing. Any other recs?

A: You know, my only general rule is that no food is worth waiting in a really long line for. Don’t get committed to one thing. There’s too much great food at Jazz Fest to wait a half an hour to eat.

Actually, the one line that’s probably worth waiting for is the mango freeze.

Q: How do you manage to keep cool when outside for 10-hour days?

A: The go-to tip is to watch one of the interviews in the clubhouse, because the clubhouse has air conditioning. (That’s the grandstand exhibit hall, near the Gentilly pedestrian entrance.) Take breaks. Find shade.

They also have the cooling tents with the spray going, so pass by those if you can. And of course, bring your maximum amount of water in when you come in, in a reusable bottle, and refill as much as possible.

Q: Jazz Fest might not be as much of a fashion show as other festivals, but do you have any tips on what to wear?

A: You have to wear a Jazz Fest shirt, but you shouldn’t wear this year’s Jazz Fest shirt. If you wear this year’s Jazz Fest shirt, they know you’re a tourist.

You’ll see people wearing the same shirts. They look matchy-matchy cause they’re wearing past years’.

I have about six Jazz Fest shirts: the red bean shirt, or the jungle shirt, or the streetcar shirt. I have all of those.

Q: I’m surprised you don’t have more actually, after 44 years.

A: Well, once you have enough shirts to get you through two weekends, that’s enough.

Q: Are there any other souvenirs worth picking up?

A: There’s a significant amount of arts and crafts at Jazz Fest, and that’s part of the experience. We have in our house, four or five pieces of art that we bought at Jazz Fest over the years.

You can buy a piece and they’ll hold onto it until the end of the day. We have one cement and glass model that we bought at Jazz Fest, and we obviously didn’t carry that around — it weighs about 30 pounds.

Q: If someone can only attend for one day, is there a day that’s best?

A: Thursdays are less crowded, but I seldom chose my days based on acts. I think there’s so much great music and so much great food that you just pick what works for you. Because you’re going to miss something. If you obsess about what you’re missing, then that’s not really the way to approach it.

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Q: Have any of the smaller acts surprised you?

A: For a lot of people, their fest is in the big stages. But I think that the real magic is generally found in the smaller stages and the smaller tents — you know, the Fay Do Do stage or Economy Hall or the Blues Tent or the Jazz Tents.

One of my favorite things to do is to take a wander. And what you can do is you can walk past the main stage, and then out onto the apron and then walk slowly through the blues tent, the jazz tent, the gospel tents and just listen to all the different kinds of music coming out of those places. See what calls to you.

Even if you’re not sitting down and listening to a whole set, just that journey through the American canon of music is extraordinary.

There’s so much great music that a key rule of thumb is: If you’re sitting there and you’re not enjoying it, you need to move.

Q: After 44 years of attending Jazz Fest, is there one memory that stands out to you in particular?

A: Oh, yeah, sure. I think anybody who was in New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina would immediately call up 2006 and Bruce Springsteen. Certainly the greatest live performance I’ve ever seen. And by the way, in Bruce’s book, he said this is the greatest performance he’s ever given.

I think now about a million people claim to have been there for that performance now. But having been there, I don’t think anything comes close to it. Nothing approaches Springsteen after Katrina.

Q: What did it feel like to be a part that audience?

A: Well, I mean, the first thing that happened that year was a Mardi Gras, and everyone was like: “Uh, how could you have a celebration? In the midst of all this tragedy?”

And our response to that is the classic New Orleans response, which is: “You’re not from here.”

So, there was no question that if we could throw those celebrations, we were going to throw those celebrations. But you know, when Jazz Fest happened in 2006, the city is still completely shattered.

And one of the things that Bruce — I guess I should call him Mr. Springsteen — had done, was go out in a car with his wife and a driver and driven the city for hours. Not with a TV crew, not with his PR people, not with a photographer.

And so Springsteen understood when he got to the stage at Jazz Fest that he was singing to a shattered city. Not just physically, but emotionally. So he brought that energy and that knowledge to his performance, and I don’t think that anybody who was there would forget it, and isn’t affected by it to this day.

The rest of (the classic New Orleans saying) “let the good times roll” is “for tomorrow you may be gone.” And when you live in a place that suffers that possible fate, the “tomorrow you may be gone” part is the part that gives the “party” part its poignancy and its importance.