A New Orleans-style tailgate may be chaotic, but it 'has culture in it' | The Saints

Tailgating is different in New Orleans. It does not take place in the glittering, sprawling stadium-side parking lot. It is a chaotic and barbaric affair. In New Orleans, tailgating is a broken play, with action scattered in pockets along Poydras Street, in the shadow of highway overpasses, and surrounded by narrow neutral grounds and architecture in the central business district. Scattered in other special locations.

There are small one-car tailgate parties here and there. But in New Orleans, tailgaters often form federations and hold titles such as Junkyard Dogs, Just Busy’s Crew and Free Riders Motorcycle Club. They unite around his black and gold garb, his barbecues, his cornhole games, and, on this particular Sunday, Tampa Bay, his Buccaneers quarterback Tom his general animosity towards Brady. To do.

Near the off-ramp of the Pontchartrain Expressway, a raucous group calling itself the Cajun Canucks (a tribute to one of its members from Toronto) nibbled on quiche and crystal burgers while analyzing Brady’s failures.

The group, which began imbibing well before 10 a.m., felt that this year’s Brady’s post-retirement flip flops were evidence of a basic lack of credibility, even duplicity. Not surprisingly, there was also the scandal in 2015 when Brady was deflated in football while he was with the Patriots.

an ignored wish

But when it came to Brady, not everyone was disrespectful. Next door, an elegant tailgate was underway for her East New Orleans resident Ruby Harkless to mark her 70th birthday. Frosted cakes and fizzy plastic champagne glasses set the mood. When asked what she wanted for her birthday, she might have expected that she would say that Harkless wants the Saints to win. It was a target.

“I hope everyone loves each other, and the world will be a lot better,” she said.

That love should even extend to the Tampa Bay quarterback, she said. Players are ejected after a brawl.

Who Dats and the Homeless

There are some odd juxtapositions as New Orleans’ tailgates weave into the cityscape.At its westernmost point, a small encampment of football fans stands just yards from a similar homeless settlement. It was in Some of them wandered for a while as the crowd made their way to the Superdome. There, gaming seats were sold for hundreds of dollars.

On Loyola Avenue, a group of firefighters set up tents and buffet tables along the sidewalk, and hungry people passed by were plated.

Slidell firefighter Alan Novak said, “If someone comes up and wants to see what we’ve got, we want to give it to them.”Saints fans, Tampa fans, Homeless, rich, it doesn’t matter, we’re here to have a good time and whenever we can help someone it’s Louisiana.It’s our firefighters.

In love with Tom Brady

In the fenced Poydras Street parking lot, passers-by were encouraged to enter what was called a tail greeter. This is a sort of pre-game activity plaza designed for “people who want to go out and party but don’t have everything to do it.” , or just don’t want to mess with it,” said owner Wayne Verschuur.

The prefabricated outdoor party included food, drinks, a DJ, and a variety of games, all for $60. Probably a fair amount, but by around 11am, there didn’t seem to be many attendees.

This is despite the efforts of Madison “Love” Jackson, a 22-year-old college student majoring in social media marketing, whose job was Tailgreeter’s draw. Or, as she put it, “I’m supposed to yell at them to come in.”

Dressed in all black, Jackson said Sunday’s dazzling sunshine was a special experience for her. She usually follows a vampire dusk-to-dawn schedule. I was.

Tom Brady was “my first crush after Johnny Depp,” she confessed.

“I think he’s perfect,” she said.

better food and cheaper beer

As noon game time approached, many tailgaters began trekking towards the large dome in the distance. But some stayed under tents near trailers and trucks with big TV screens ready to kick off.

“A lot of people stay here because the food is good and the beer is cheap,” says Todd Fujimoto, leader of a group of more than 100 tailgaters, an unlikely mix of tax crews and former Marines. explained. .

Junkyard Dogs leader Kenneth “K-9” Walters provided a 55-inch TV and folding chairs for the members to watch the game right next to the Smoked Chicken Wings.

K-9 explained that it’s important to be close to the game even if you’re not heading to Caesars Superdome. “Feel here, get excited,” he said. “It’s like a carnival. That’s what makes New Orleans so unique. This city has culture.”