Wyclef and Joss Stone sounded great. Not really into their music, but a ton of people were there watching them.

SO, we headed over to Razoo for a few beers before heading to Voodoo. Razoo is a really cool place with a great courtyard and 3 for 1 drink specials during the day.

Left Razoo and caught a cab, which turned out to be the cab ride from HELL. After that fiasco, we were happy to finally walk through the gates at Voodoo, grab a beer and some food and get ready for the concert.

We hung out in the LOA section for a while, then decided to visit the Miller Lite hospitality section. Cold beer, cool people, nice hangout w/ TVs everywhere showing the bands and some ballgames. Lines were much shorter at the porta-potties. Lounge areas with couches, etc. Met some locals, some visitors and settled on the 2nd level of the miller lite bus to watch the show.

Caught the first few somgs of NIN from atop the miller lite bus, then decided we wanted to get closer. So we headed back to the LOA area and it was better... but, I still regret not being in front of the stage, as close as possible (next time I go, I'm def getting in front of the stage for the big bands)

NIN was awesome! They sounded great! The crowd was energized and the band was feeding off the energy... making for one helluva concert! They played the big hits... with Head Like a Hole being the standout song to me.

NIN had a really cool stage show with light screens in front of the band (difficult to describe - watch the video). I thought it was pretty unique and added to the experience. I'm sure it would've been even cooler if we were closer. At any rate, I've been a NIN fan for a long time and I'm so happy I finally got to see them. (here's more info about NIN's amazing light show)

We left Voodoo after NIN and headed to Bourbon. We hung out on the balcony at Cat's Meow and had a blast. Met some people from some small town in LA and had fun throwing out beads with them.

After cat's meow, we wandered up and down Bourbon, stoping at several bars... watch the entertainment, met many, many cool people and ended the night about 4am (whew!)

We woke up Sunday, feeling a little beat up. None of us are really REM fans, so we decided to leave early. (Sorry Michael Stipe)

Overall, STP and NIN really stood out as great performances. I'm glad STP is back together and it was great seeing them look and sound so strong. This was the 3rd time I've seen STP (this show blew the other 2 away). And, I've always wanted to see NIN, so I can check that off my list. They were impressive as well. I'll go see either band again if they tour near me.

New Orleans never fails to entertain and provide endless amounts of indulgences. It's one of my favorite cities and I love it more each time I visit.

Here are the photos:
Voodoo Fest 2008 - TripSmarter.Com Photo Gallery
French Quarter - TripSmarter.Com Photo Gallery

And here are a few videos:
TripSmarter.Com Video Vault** Voodoo Fest 2008: Nine Inch Nails - Head Like a Hole
TripSmarter.Com Video Vault** Voodoo Fest 2008: Reverend Horton Heat - Paranoid
TripSmarter.Com Video Vault** Voodoo Fest 2008: Stone Temple Pilots - Wicked Garden

Favorite quote from Scott Weiland:
"We were here once before. Then, there was a storm. Now we're back. It's much more beautiful now. Much, much more beautiful."

More info on the future of STP:
On October 22, it was reported that Weiland told The Pulse of Radio he's uncertain where STP's future lies. "I don't know where things are gonna go with STP," he said. "It was sad to find out that we're still in some way locked in a contract with Atlantic Records, which is a travesty, actually. If it ends up being that we have to, you know, make a certain amount of records for Atlantic in order to be free, then I don't know if I have that in me.

Weiland then said during an interview on October 30 with WBCN that STP has written a "boat load of new songs" during the reunion tour indicating that a new album could be on the horizon in 2009 following his solo tour.

Stone Temple Pilots - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia