Another Presidential Contender and the Schedule

[NOTE: This post has been revised July 5 to include the time of Hillary Clinton's appearance. See below.]

“Coming Home” is a blog looking at life in New Orleans as we get ready to meet again in the Superdome July 5, 6 and 7 for the Essence Music Festival. The festival is close enough that we’re counting down hours now, so it’s time for me to get out of the way and let the party start. I couldn’t stop, though, without sharing one last major announcement and the performance schedules for the main stages and the superlounges.

The Essence Music Festival has not only attracted presidential hopeful Barack Obama, who will speak Thursday night at the Superdome; Hillary Rodham Clinton has also confirmed that she will appear at the festival as well. On Friday, July 6 at 1 p.m., she’ll be on the empowerment seminar schedule at the Morial Convention Center, and as Michelle Ebanks, President of Essence Communications Inc. says, “An appearance by a leading presidential candidate underscores the social and cultural significance of the Essence Music Festival and will help us to shine a spotlight on New Orleans’ continued recovery.” Finally, here’s the performance schedule. Check it because there are a few recent additions including Atlanta’s Anthony David in a superlounge performance, and Solange Knowles will perform with Sunshine Anderson.

Thursday, July 5

MAIN STAGE

Jonathan Slocumb, host

7:30 p.m. Opening Dedication Ceremony

7:35 p.m. McDonald’s Gospel Tribute with Smokie Norful and Vanessa Bell Armstrong

8:40 p.m. Ciara

9:20 p.m. Ludacris

10:15 p.m. Barack Obama

10:30 p.m. Isley Brothers featuring Ronald Isley

11:50 p.m. The O’Jays & Levert with special guests Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill

SUPERLOUNGE SCHEDULE

Chevy Superlounge

8:15 p.m. Pieces of a Dream

9:45 p.m. Rachelle Ferrell

11:15 p.m. Rachelle Ferrell

McDonald’s Superlounge

8 p.m. Rahsaan Patterson

9:30 p.m. Kenny Lattimore & Chanté Moore

11 p.m. Kenny Lattimore & Chanté Moore

Coca-Cola Superlounge

8:15 p.m. Jermaine Paul

9:45 p.m. Ruben Studdard

11:15 p.m. Ruben Studdard

Budweiser Superlounge

8 p.m. Roi Anthony & Legit, Cupid

9:30 p.m. Kindred

11 p.m. Kindred

   

Friday, July 6

MAIN STAGE

Jonathan Slocumb, host

7:40 p.m. Robin Thicke

8:40 p.m. Steve Harvey

9 p.m. Chris Brown

10:15 p.m. Steve Harvey

10:35 p.m. Beyoncé

SUPERLOUNGES

Chevy Superlounge

8:15 p.m. Nuttin’ but Stringz

9:45 p.m. Slum Village

11:15 p.m. Slum Village

McDonald’s Superlounge

8 p.m. Elisabeth Withers

9:30 p.m. Najee

11 p.m. Najee

Coca-Cola Superlounge

8:15 p.m. Rahsaan Patterson

9:45 p.m. Kenny Lattimore & Chanté Moore

11:15 p.m. Kenny Lattimore & Chanté Moore

Budweiser Superlounge

8 p.m. Anthony David

9:30 p.m. Mint Condition

11 p.m. Mint Condition

   

Saturday, July 7

MAIN STAGE

Jonathan Slocumb, host

7:30 p.m. Kelly Rowland

8:10 p.m. Ne-Yo

9:10 p.m. Lionel Richie

10:35 p.m. Mary J. Blige

12 a.m. Maze featuring Frankie Beverly

SUPERLOUNGES

Chevy Superlounge

8:15 p.m. Rebirth Brass Band

9:45 p.m. lyfe jennings

11:15 p.m. lyfe jennings

McDonald’s Superlounge

8 p.m. Sunshine Anderson with special guest Solange Knowles

9:30 p.m. Angie Stone

11 p.m. Angie Stone

Coca-Cola Superlounge

8:15 p.m. MC Lyte

9:45 p.m. Common

11:15 p.m. Common

Budweiser Superlounge

8 p.m. Nuttin’ but Stringz

9:30 p.m. Chuck D. & Public Enemy

11 p.m. Chuck D. & Public Enemy

 

Schedules subject to change.

 

Writer Alex Rawls edits OffBeat, Louisiana's music and culture magazine.

Let's Eat

“Coming Home” is a blog looking at life in New Orleans as we get ready to meet again in the Superdome July 5, 6 and 7 for the Essence Music Festival. It’s hard to believe it’s less than a week away, but in a few days, we’ll be together again for what should be a great night with Smokie Norful and Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Ciara, Ludacris, presidential candidate Barack Obama, the Isley Brothers featuring Ronald Isley and the O’Jays & LeVert with Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill.

     

It's not an exaggeration - people in New Orleans really do discuss dinner plans at lunch here. It’s no surprise then that festivals here offer more than just hot dogs, burgers and nachos to snack on. Local restaurants and caterers have booths in the superlounges, and if you want a taste of New Orleans, be sure to hit them. In the Budweiser Superlounge, for example, Palmer’s Cuisine is serving Jamaican chicken, steamed vegetables and rice, shrimp Betty, curried chicken patties and spicy beef patties. Palmer’s used to be the city’s best Jamaican restaurant before Cecil Palmer shifted the business to catering-only. It’s still excellent, and I can vouch for everything Palmer’s is serving except for the shrimp Betty.

     

New Orleans is not typically a strong chicken wings town, but Lamar’s Creole Style Buffalo Wings puts a credible local spin on wings in the Chevy Superlounge. Linda Green has been busy since Katrina, serving hot lunches free to musicians at Tipitina’s in the year after it re-opened and making the local favorite ya ka mein for Jazz Fest. Here she’s making a fried shrimp basket, fried chicken strip basket, fried potato wedges and Linda’s walnut brownie (which, again, I can testify for).

     

One of the first families of New Orleans soul food, the Baquets, have two booths in the McDonald’s Superlounge. Wayne Baquet, Sr., who runs Lil’ Dizzy’s Café, is serving trout Baquet with macaroni and cheese, as well as Creole filé gumbo. He first offered trout Baquet at Jazz Fest this year and it’s a good light alternative to the fried food we specialize in. Wayne Jr. is serving the local classics jambalaya, red beans and rice with sausage, and bread pudding with rum sauce.

     

Mr. Williams Pies has the pie concession in the Coca-Cola Superlounge, with sweet potato pie, apple pie, bean pie and coconut pie. I love the sweet potato pie and plan to try the bean pie this year because I've never had it before. My sense of adventure says if I don’t know what something is, that’s what I should have. In other cities, that sort of thinking could lead to culinary disasters, but in New Orleans, it often leads to new favorites.

     

There’s a lot more food available than just these, with four concession stands in each superlounge (and a whole other set of food booths at the convention center). As is always the case in New Orleans, if you walk away hungry, it’s your own damned fault.

   

Writer Alex Rawls edits OffBeat, Louisiana's music and culture magazine.