The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival has attendance of more than 650,000 people and is the one time of year the national music business spotlight is on the city.

Last Saturday, visitors got to savor delicious Cajun cuisine as they enjoyed musical highlights including: The Roots, James Taylor, The Original Meters and Buddy Guy, a 68-year-old boisterous Chicago blues musician. This weekend fans have a second chance to take advantage of the music and food offered at the Fair Grounds.

Guy’s set began with his usual amazing guitar playing and humorous comments to the audience. The show was taken to another level when he stormed into the audience still playing and singing without missing a beat. Guy is one of the greatest showmen in the world and can top virtually any younger artist.

Many fans were looking forward to the long awaited reunion of The Meters, a New Orleans soul-funk band from the late 60s that were the backing band for many famous artists including Dr. John, Paul McCartney and Robert Palmer. During James Taylor’s set, he said he had a bone to pick with the festival scheduler for booking him at the same time as the Meters. While he loved playing, it seemed that he’d rather be rather be watching the reunion. The group reportedly remarked after the show that this was not the last performance.

The Roots normally play a great mix of new and old songs with a few interesting covers, but this time it was far more covers than the songs that made them famous. At first the montage of hit songs was fun but after 20 minutes many fans were left asking, “When are they going to play one of their songs?”

Out of town visitors must have thought Cajun seafood is the only food locals eat. Most of the food sold by vendors included the words crawfish or crab. Many favorites included Crawfish Monica and the elusive crawfish bread. That’s right, your Mardi Gras favorite is back, and this time you don’t have to worry about getting hit in the head by sadistic float riders. Once the sun has begun to beat down on you its time for something cold and sweet. You can turn to mango freezes, hand-scooped ice cream and Mint Julep Iced Tea.

The prices at this festival are sometimes reasonable and other times questionable. Three-dollar beer was a bargain compared to most music festivals, but ticket prices jumped from $25 to $35 in one year. Is the festival trying to cut back attendees to curb crowding or is it getting greedy? You be the judge.

Security allows patrons to bring one small cooler filled with water, so you should cut costs whenever possible.

Other local favorites at the food booths included alligator pie, muffulettas, po-boys, gumbo and various sausage concoctions. The lines may seem long, but the crowds are usually people standing around eating the food. Once the afternoon has begun to cool down it’s time for some jerk chicken and blackberry cobbler. This year there are two stages for food demonstration that will include various local chefs and samples of New Orleans staples. The last rule is don’t be afraid of new food. What are Boudin Balls? Go find out.

Jazz Fest is not only a time to enjoy all the things you love about New Orleans, but it’s also a time to explore parts of the culture that you didn’t know existed.

Benjamin Gordon can be reached at [email protected].

On the Jazz and Heritage stage, the Mahogany Brass Band got the audience moving and shaking. (Gillian Dicker)