Flogging Molly in New Orleans
Kayleigh and I recently spent a couple of days in New Orleans while taking in Flogging Molly at the House of Blues. This was my fifth time seeing Flogging Molly and Kayleigh’s fourth. This was the second time we’ve seen them in New Orleans; the first about a year ago.
The opening band was The Cherry Cokes. Think a young Asian version of Flogging Molly and you kind of have the picture. They were energetic and colorful and the music was decent. Sadly I couldn’t understand a word the lead singer sung, and only a few words he spoke between songs (one was “Bourbon Street” and the other sounded like “lynchpin”. I can’t be sure).
The middle group was Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. We saw them open for Flogging Molly in Atlanta previously so we were familiar with their music. Once again they were fantastic. One song we hadn’t heard before was a tune about Reverend Peyton’s mother’s fried potatoes. He backed up his claim that they were the best in the world by asking if any of our mothers had a song written about their fried potatoes. He had a point (though Kayleigh claimed she could whip up a song real quick in support of my mother’s fantastic fried potatoes).
Finally Flogging Molly hit the stage opening with Selfish Man. Other than their standards they played 5 songs off their new CD Float. Luckily for me Kayleigh had bought a copy of Float from their website before it was available in stores so we were familiar with their new stuff. I love Float from top to bottom but unlike their previous CDs it took a while to grow on me.
They finished their set with The Story So Far and were joined by The Cherry Cokes and Reverent Peyton’s Big Damn Band for the lalala ending; though I still have no idea what the lead singer of The Cherry Cokes was singing. The encore consisted of two songs, the first Black Friday Rule which started out with Dave King solo with an acoustic guitar before being joined by the rest of the band. I seem to have forgotten what song they closed with, though I’m leaning towards Seven Deadly Sins.
The concert was over at midnight which is early for New Orleans so we ended the night at Cafe Du Monde. Every night should end at Cafe Du Monde.
Other notes:
- When I was younger the more groups that played the better. But I’m older now and standing on concrete for over four hours is a little much. An opening group and the headliner is pretty much all I want these days, and I’ll take Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band every time.
- Kayleigh is 5-2, which I love (I like looking down at a pair of shoes on the floor and knowing right away if they’re mine or not… that’s just how I roll), but if I could make her 5-10 just for concerts I’d jump at the chance. Finding a place on the floor that allows her to see the band and not the back of someone’s head is always a challenge. This time the steps leading to the floor did the trick nicely.
- The House of Blues in New Orleans is a great place to see music. It’s small enough that no matter where you stand it feels as if the band is in your living room. That said, wow do they pack the people in. I know by law they have a limit, but I can’t imagine how they’d pack more bodies in even if they were allowed.
- We stayed at the Iberville Suites and got a great deal (thanks to Kayleigh). For not much more than you’d pay for a Motel 6 we got a two room suite about a block or two from the French Quarter, ACME oyster house, and the House of Blues. Just a few more blocks and you’re at Jackson Square. The only time the hotel’s location isn’t convenient is if you’re spending a lot of time on the Esplanade side of the French Quarter. For that reason we decided to put off a trip to Snug Harbor until a future trip.
- The hotel is in the same building as the Ritz-Carlton which means the same amenities available to their guests are available to those staying at the Iberville Suites. Unfortunately they’re just as expensive.
- We made an effort to try different restaurants this trip instead of our usuals. Instead of ACME Oyster House we tried Felix’s. It’s directly across the street from ACME Oyster House and the line was quite a bit shorter. The food was good though I’d be hard pressed to tell you which place is better (and I don’t order oysters at either place).
- After learning a restaurant we had intended to visit had closed we decided to try Petunias. The location and ambience (classic French Quarter building) was great, the food decent, and the service pretty bad. I know New Orleans’ restaurants have been struggling to fill their staffs so that’s not surprising. But the staff they did have seemed to have no idea what they were doing with some customers having to take their own silverware from the serving cart.
- Before heading home we got out of the French Quarter and ate at Joey K’s on Magazine Street. Easily our best dining experience the food was tasty and the service attentive (and cute). We’ll definitely be back.
- I took Kayleigh to Pat O’Brien’s for her first Hurricane. Sure, it’s touristy, but everyone needs to do it once and Kayleigh got a souvenir glass out of it. Now we never have to go again (maybe).
I was surprised at the amount of people in the French Quarter, especially since we were there on a Sunday and Monday night (though Kayleigh informed me it was the beginning of Spring Break). Though I had enjoyed the smaller crowds since Katrina New Orleans needs tourists to survive, so I’m happy things are slowly getting back to normal.
