In New Orleans We Celebrate Life

Essence Music Festival came and went this year. I didn't want to go. I've realized that I'm not into big crowds. It's about quality over quantity for me. When I was younger, I thought I had to show my face at Essence, Mardi Gras and Bayou Classic just to be seen. If I didn't enjoy it, I didn't understand why I was doing it. It was the glitz and glamour we rarely see in New Orleans. Everyone comes to our city and makes it better. I remember when we had big events in New Orleans such as the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Weekend, Bayou Classic or Essence Music Festival out-of-state promoters would come and give these VIP parties. These parties would start at $50 just to get in to be around the rich and famous. If you wanted you could pay more money to be VIP. This was up to $200. How ludicrous is that! Outrageous!

Then I realized the reason celebrities enjoy coming to New Orleans is for the fun atmosphere and nonchalant attitude of the people. In the past Lenny Kravitz was a regular at Port o' Call, but everyone treated him like a regular person. It's about celebrating life in New Orleans. We don't hound people because we know they have to live their lives. It's a remarkable thing! I was watching a VH1 Soul, and there was a special on Black music. Babyface talked about how he had to move back to Los Angeles because he felt he was 'a big fish in a small pond' in Atlanta. New Orleans is different because we feel like you're just another person here. That's why we are called a big town instead of a small city.

Understanding that New Orleans will never be Atlanta. We shouldn't want to be. We should want the music business that Atlanta has warranted. But we should never want to be another city because no other city can be like New Orleans. There's no place like New Orleans in the world. It's the quaintness of New Orleans. It's the feeling that everyone knows everyone. That makes New Orleans wonderful. That's why I would like New Orleans promotions to be similar. We should celebrate our uniqueness. We should look at other cities as templates but never lose the sight of the uniqueness and wonderment we call New Orleans. There's something wonderful about New Orleans. Everyone says it's a little slow in New Orleans, but who cares? In New Orleans we experience life and take it all in. Everyday we celebrate life even in death we do. Let's celebrate life in New Orleans.