AP: Jazz Fest preview
Source: Associated Press
Jazz Fest is just a couple of weeks away, and the big story for the first weekend is the return of Aaron Neville:
"There is nothing else like it," said singer Aaron Neville, whose performance at the festival this year is his first gig in his hometown since Katrina hit. "It's one of those things that makes the city what it is."
Before the hurricane, Neville traditionally closed out the second weekend of the festival with his brothers, an addition to doing a turn in the gospel tent. For Neville, New Orleans hasn't been the same since Hurricane Katrina roared through in August 2005, flooding 80 percent of the city—including his house.
"I had 10 feet of water at my house," he said.
In addition, Neville's wife of 49 years, Joel Roux-Neville, died in January 2007. Neville has also had problems with asthma.
"The New Orleans I know is definitely a memory now," Neville said. But reviving good memories associated with the city's huge music festival is something he's looking forward to. He's even planning to move back to the area in the near future.
"This is like our 30th anniversary at the Fest," he said. "So I'm not going to worry about anything. I'm going to leave it in the hands of the Lord and just enjoy it."
