[Rob In Stereo] Voodoo and Insanity

Courtesy Jane’s Addiction

Jane’s Addiction will likely perform material from their first two albums at Voodoo Fest New Orleans on Saturday, Oct. 31.

by Rob Hamilton
October 21, 2009

In 1999, the Voodoo Music Festival began in New Orleans and promptly became the fall counterpart to spring's Jazzfest. The lineup is always diverse enough to deliver a few can't-miss high points that are worth the drive to the city for any fan. Here are just a few for this year.

Hip-hop Central (Friday, Oct. 30)—While spring's Jazzfest generally shies away from hip-hop, Voodoo has embraced it from the festival's inception. Eminem, a headliner in 2000, returns (with D12 in tow, regrettably) to highlight the opening night in what is expected to be his only show in America this year. However, two acts that promise to be equally fun and considerably less crowded are The Cool Kids and The Knux.

The Cool Kids are a Chicago-based throwback rap group whose 2007 debut "The Bake Sale" caused quite a stir in the hip-hop underground. Their sound is decidedly old school, but they come at it with a fresh-enough approach to be considered one of the potential saviors of underground hip-hop.

The Knux are a transplanted New Orleans rap duo whose record "Remind Me in 3 Days …" was one of the best hip-hop albums last year. Heavily inspired by Outkast, they feature a motley sound, with lyrics bouncing seamlessly between tough and highbrow.

The Legends Come Out (Saturday, Oct. 31)—Kiss is the headliner, and their face paint should play well to the debaucherous Halloween crowd. However, they are not the only rock 'n' roll heavyweights playing this date. Also performing are legends George Clinton with Parliament Funkadelic and Jello Biafra (of Dead Kennedys fame) with his newest band, The Guantanamo School of Medicine.

The main highlight of Saturday night, though, will be Jane's Addiction's return. Jane's Addiction began touring with their original lineup again last year for the first time since 1991. The set lists at recent shows have been leaning heavily toward material from their first two classic albums. In other words, "Entourage" fans hoping to hear "Superhero" should brace yourself for disappointment.

1980s Revival (Sunday, Nov. 1)—Two of the most fascinating acts on the lineup close out the festival: The Meat Puppets and The Pogues. Neither has done anything particularly memorable in about 15 years, but the curiosity level is sky high as to how time has served these two ground-breaking artists, particularly The Pogues.

The Pogues are the one group that you should not miss at this festival for several reasons. It is one of the most influential bands of the past 30 years, nearly single-handedly injecting Celtic influence into popular music. On top of this, lead singer Shane MacGowan has been teetering on the brinks of insanity and death for the last 20 years and is well into the "every day is a gift" stage of his life. Combine that with the fact that The Pogues rarely venture to the American south, and this figures to be one of the last opportunities to see this trend-setting band within 700 miles of home.

Take advantage of it.