(COVINGTON, La.) —  The Voodoo Music Festival, traditionally held in late October, took place this past weekend featuring many diverse bands. During my four year tenure at St. Pauls, I have never attended the music festival. Being the music lover I am, I decided I would give it a try. I bought a ticket for Saturday because I would not be able to attend due to football game for school.

So, the Saturday morning of Voodoo, I woke up and took the ACT first. So going into Voodoo, my brain was already fried. I immediately left the ACT and went to link up with some of my friends to drive down to City Park for the festival.

We arrived at City Park around 3:30 p.m. and proceeded to walk to the entrance. I walked in after being patted down by a security guard and was very excited. As soon as I walked in, I saw thousands of people dressed in different costumes. Since the festival is held in late October and is named “Voodoo”, it is traditional to wear a Halloween costume for the event. My girlfriend picked me up at the entrance (I had no clue where or what I was doing) and directed me to the stage where we were going to stand. We proceeded to the “Altar”, which was the biggest stage they had set up for the festival. We got close to the front and listened to other artists with one goal in mind: to be at the front for Travis Scott.

I showed up right before Lizzo’s set was about to start. Lizzo is an American hip-hop artist hauling from Detroit, Michigan. Her performance was very interesting from my perspective. She had the crowd going by getting them involved by repeating lyrics and clapping their hands to the beat. She had two dancers and a DJ with her to preform her bass filled and catchy songs. Overall I enjoyed her performance and had a good time watching and listening.

After each set there was an hour wait until the next set would began. Wanting to keep my spot, I decided not to go get food or water. I was already so close to the stage that I came to the conclusion that I would be able to make it to 11 p.m. without food or water. So, another hour passes and Janelle Monáe began to perform.

Janelle Monáe is an American singer-songwriter who is a woman’s activist, and a supporter and member of the LGBTQ community. She played her famous songs from her album Dirty Computer. She had background dancers and her crew playing many instruments while she was belting out her favorite songs. Her Michael Jackson-like dance moves and capturing visuals really got the audience going. I thought her performance was very passionate and really captivated the audience.

Another hour passes by after the previous set and it was time for Odezsa. Odezsa is an American band hauling from Bellingham, Washington. Prior to Voodoo, I had no clue what type of music they would play. They are an electronic music band, but they are different from most artists from the genre. They included a drum line, a trumpet, and a trombone that mixed with the electronic beats and instrumentals. I was really shocked on how much I enjoyed the groups music. The energy was captivating and I think everyone was underestimating the groups music. Along with a space themed performance, the visuals really added another dimension to the show. I loved the show and everyone I talked to was very impressed of the performance.

The last hour passes and Travis Scott hits the stage. Travis Scott is an American rapper coming out of Houston, Texas. Travis played a decent amount of his old music, which a bunch of his early fans fell in love with. He also played a good bit of his new album Astroworld. Specifically his performance of “Stargazing” and “Sicko Mode” was absolutely astonishing. The crowd was jumping around the whole entire show on top of Travis Scott calling out for mosh pits in the suffocating audience. It almost seemed like the 180,000+ audience was singing every word. His cult-like fan base really showed out in New Orleans for his performance with fans belting out every song, regardless of how old the songs were. I am a fan of Travis Scott and after his performance I can say I really began to appreciate his music even more. Scott is considered one of the best live performers today, and after the show I really understood why. Scott is one of a kind and I was blessed enough to see him in my own home state.

Overall, Voodoo went sky high over my expectations of what I thought it would be. Just being able to experience different genres I typically don’t listen to really has helped grow my spectrum of new genres and a love for the art of music as a whole. I would highly recommend attending the festival. If you are claustrophobic and don’t like big crowds, I would highly recommend you not go. Overall, there is no better way to experience different genres of live music in a city we keep close to our hearts. I will certainly attend Voodoo in my upcoming years and I highly recommend attending.