Reports are now filtering out of New Orleans and the second weekend of Jazz Fest. While the concert fields were damp on this the second weekend a few hundred thousand people attended over the seven days of the festival, taking in music on ten (!) stages. Our embedded reporters will be back later this week with news from the fairgrounds but for now wed like to highlight some of the late night happenings. One significant event took place at Saturdays Superfly SuperJam where Mike Gordon performed with Trey Anastasio for the first time on stage since Phish disbanded last summer. Gordon appeared with Anastasios 70 Volt Parade (which by the second set had been enhanced by Dave Grippo, Michael Ray and members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band) for Sneaking Sally Through the Alley. Dave Matthews then also stepped up for Bob Marleys Three Little Birds and Sly and the Family Stones ‘Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again).’ Gordon also remained for an acoustic take on Hank Williams Old Habits Like You Are Hard to Break, which felt fitting to many in attendance at the State Palace Theatre.
One individual who briefly attend the SuperJam but did not take the stage was Warren Haynes. The guitarist who was appearing nearby at the Orpheum Theater with Govt Mule, showed up at set break but never made it on as he had to run back to his own gig. He was, however, later joined by SuperJam participants Ivan Neville and Matthews for an All Along The Watchtower encore. Earlier in the night the DDBB horns guested on Jealous Kind and The Thrill Is Gone, while Karl Denson added sax to Devil Likes It Slow and Blindman In The Dark. On the prior evening, also at the Orpheum, Haynes sat in with opener Umphrey’s McGee during their set-closing Thin Air and invited UM guitarists Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger to join the Mule for Sco-Mule and Lively Up Yourself. In addition Les Claypool added bass to Spoonful while Brain Stoltz lent his guitar to 32-30 Blues and Out of the Rain.