Down on the Bayou
Posted on Monday, February 8th, 2010
Me oh my oh, are they having big fun down in New Orleans.
The crescent-shaped city at the mouth of the Mississippi has a special relationship with many of the mountain towns upstream, forged through music. Each spring, seeking relief from cabin fever, winter-weary mountain dwellers descend on the Big Easy for Jazz Fest, home of hot jams, spicy food and arguably America’s best music lineup. In turn, New Orleans musicians hit the road to escape the torrid heat of summer and find refuge playing in the cooler high elevations of ski towns. This cultural exchange has made bands like Galactic, Rebirth and the Dirty Dozen favorites from Asheville, N.C., to Quincy, Calif.
So when the Saints pulled off a shocking, 31-17 upset of the Indianapolis Colts last night, mountain music fans celebrated with the good people of New Orleans, who not only endured 43 years of mostly lousy football prior to this season but also extreme poverty, suffering and, yes, the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleanians always faced this despair with a hopeful outlook, sure that one day things would be better and the Saints would win the Super Bowl.
As the Times-Picayune newspaper bannered this morning, “Amen!”
