The Neville Brothers’ highly anticipated homecoming performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival proved poignant, celebratory, and spiritual on a gorgeous Sunday. The Nevilles’ closing day appearance marked another important return to normalcy for the slowly but steadily rebuilding Crescent City. Natives of the Uptown neighborhood, The Nevilles’ meld second line funk, soul, gospel and rhumba to create the ultimate Big Easy music experience, something the siblings had done during the final day of Jazz Fest for years. Then Katrina displaced the family and star frontman Aaron Neville feared all the dust and mold in the city would exasperate his asthma, preventing him from returning to perform much to the chagrin of the persevering locals and Jazz Fest regulars. All was made right, though, Sunday. The Nevilles performed on the main Acura Stage in front of a grateful crowd that ranged in age from small children and their parents to college students.
This article appears in Dec 17-23, 2008.