PlanetEye

Jazz Fest is always kind of muddy, but this year was one of the goopiest yet.  Torrential downpours plagued the first weekend, raining on the parades of Sheryl Crow and Billy Joel, and the second weekend suffered forbidding skies all Friday and Saturday, until the clouds finally opened up during Stevie Wonder's set.  A rollicking rendition of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" kept the mood light and festive, as diehard fans continued dancing in their ponchos.  But, appropriately, after a rumbling morning thunderstorm, Jimmy Buffett was able to play to Parrotheads under a hot sun in a cloudless sky, and Santana and the Neville Brothers closed out the show to the same.

One thing to know about Jazz Fest, though, is that some of the best times are had when the mud is at its worst and the skies are dull and gloomy.  Less people show to the Fest, which means shorter lines, a better opportunity to get a great campout spot, and the parking situation is much improved.  And with people charging upwards of $20 for you to park your car in a lot that doesn't even belong to them or on lawns specially cleared for that purpose, you best believe that free parking is a joy to behold.

So yes, raindrops did indeed keep falling on our heads, but to Jazz Fest veterans - recognizable by their practical rubber boots and coolers of smuggled beer, sitting on  collapsible chairs on a tarp or blanket dance floors - those drops can keep on coming, because the party will go on!