The concept of an “open-bar” was a completely alien concept to me, especially on my very first outing to New Orleans. Hell, I’m still baffled by the legality of open containers. No last call?? What is this, Mars? Needless to say, being in a strange land such as the French Quarter began taking it’s toll on my old withered frame and liver. To be honest I really didn’t know if I could make it to One Eyed Jacks on Toulouse Street to see Spoon’s invite-only show which was set to begin at 1:30am (!!!), but I had to soldier on. I’ve missed too many opportunities to see them, and so what if I shaved 12 years off of my life span in the scope of a day?

(Review continues along with video, audio, and setlist after the jump!)
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NME is reporting that former Smashing Pumpkins’ bassist/D’arcy-replacement Melissa Auf Der Maur is hoping for a comeback of sorts next year with “a multimedia project encompassing music, film, comic books and the internet.” Elaborating on the project’s themes, she said:

“On a very broad level, it’s the eternal female force on the hunt for the heart. The healers versus the hunters. It could be the heart of the universe, it could be literally the physical human heart. Its the hunt for the centre of life. The broad original concept broke down into songs and into a few storylines. It’s also very much for people to determine themselves…”

Determine ourselves? Based on the low-budget trailer featuring lumberjacks and herself playing “a magic healing witch”, The Brawny Witch Projectsounds like an appropriate title….

This year marked the 10th season of the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans and it was surprising that less fanfare was made. Besides competition from an ever-expanding lineup of other big music fests (such as Vegoose) and a forced scaled-down in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Voodoo has persevered and returned last year as a successful two-day event. For it’s 10th time out, Voodoo expanded to a three-day event with an atmosphere that was as uniquely eclectic as the city that hosts it.

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Hypeful is excitedly headed to New Orleans this weekend for the annual Voodoo Music Experience - the only good excuse I can think for missing the Flaming Lips’ March of 1000 Skeletons. The ace lineup of artists and the opportunity to celebrate Halloween in the Big Easy should be a recipe for a great weekend. Make sure to check out Hypeful this weekend and next week for updates and photos from the festival.

If you’re unable to make it to Las Vegas this weekend for Vegoose, you can still catch the concert as it unfolds over at the AT&T blue room. The lineup is pretty great and you’re sure to catch a couple of ace performances.