After an excellent first day of Jazzfest, I headed to Tipitina’s around 9:30pm (April 24, 2009) to partake in the second night of Fess Jazztival. My initials plans were to catch bluesman Eric Lindell and the reunion of the Wild Magnolias Mardi Gras Indians featuring Big Chief Bo Dollis and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, but due to some scheduling confusion, by the time that had I arrived Eric Lindell had already played. Disappointed but not daunted, I used this opportunity to hang around and slip into Galactic’s [2:00am to] sunrise set.

Yes, I did miss out on SXSW this year. And, yes, I was pretty bummed about it. But every cloud has a silver lining (or something like that), right!? And it just so happened that my misfortune and the previous weekend’s poor weather caused Super Sunday to be rescheduled to March 22nd. For those who don’t know, Super Sunday marks one of the most authentic and exciting cultural events in the country. On the Sunday nearest to Saint Joseph’s Day (March 19th), the Mardi Gras Indian tribes of New Orleans parade the streets for their final procession of the season. This grand spectacle is one of the Crescent City’s richest traditions. I, in addition to many others, can attest that, year-in-and-year-out, Super Sunday is unquestionably the best day of the year. Below, you’ll find a super photoblog from Super Sunday along with a brief description of Mari Gras Indian culture.