Prior to the release of the 2006 Jazz Fest lineup, I was excited about the event. I haven’t been in years because the artists are usually yawn-inspiring. Unfortunately they left my anticipations unfulfilled when they issued such a typical lineup for this landmark event. I had already written Jazz Fest 2006 off as a bust (as I seem to do every single year), when I received this email from the:

Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band will make their
first-ever Jazz Fest appearance on Sunday, April 30, Festival organizers
announced today. Springsteen and the new band will release a new album
next month featuring songs associated with the legendary guiding light
of American music, Pete Seeger, and their Jazz Fest debut will feature
most of the musicians who worked on the recording. The 2006 New Orleans
Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell is set for April 28-30 and
May 5-7.

I’ve never been a fan of The Boss, but I respect him nonetheless. He’s a good musician and I acknowledge that, but there are a lot of bands I’d prefer listening to (like pretty much anything). I know, however, this is going to make a lot of people happy. They should have gone with more acts like this. People who don’t play Jazz Fest EVERY YEAR. For the most part, the organizers took an incredible opportunity and turned it into an immense bore.

Springsteen will join the Meters, Dave Matthews Band, Bob Dylan, Yolanda Adams, Allen Toussaint with special guest Elvis Costello, Ani DiFranco, Dr. John, Galactic, and over 1,000,000 other bands. I know all of those acts are great, but seriously these people play every year.