Voodoo Fest ‘07

I’ll be honest, I don’t usually do Voodoo. It skews a little young for me, but this was the first year that Alison really REALLY wanted to go- she did all three days, while we wimpy adults just did Saturday, which was when Coheed & Cambria played.

We got in the gate late because we naively didn’t realize we’d have to park miles and miles away and hike up and through City Park to get there. Coheed was already setting up by the time we’d gotten our tickets and I fought with the security guard who tried to take my camera away- for the only time in my life I played the “Do you know who I AM???” card. I, of course “am” nobody…but I had a backstage pass that said otherwise, and what the guard didn’t know didn’t hurt him.

But then we had a second go-round with the guard watching the backstage entrance who didn’t want to let us up. Luckily, Alison spotted Travis behind him and started screaming. Despite the fact that onstage he looks like he might skin and eat you alive he’s actually the nicest guy you’ll ever meet, and, unlike me, he actually IS somebody but naturally he took the high road. “C’mon, man,” he said, “they’re my family!”

After a brief negotiation, we were in…and Alison, never one to know when to stop pressing her luck, got her friend Corrine in too. Very cool all around.

The viewing area was elevated off to the side and it was only once we were up there we realized just how huge the crowd was- official reports are that there were more than 400,000 people over the three days.

Need I even say that it was a phenomenal show?

Before they had to jump on the bus and hustle out we talked about how different it was from their first show in New Orleans just a few years ago. Back then there were only 40 or so people in this tiny club with serious electrical problems- Claudio got a huge jolt from a malfunctioning microphone. Everybody was hauling their own stuff, and ’shoestring’ would just about describe it.

Amazing guys. Go buy their new album. And if you want to see more pics, check the Gallery.

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