Amanda Shaw at Wednesday at the Square

Another gorgeous day at Lafayette Square, with blue skies, bright sunshine, the petunias nodding their pretty heads, the crowd -- not as big as it'll be next week for Marcia Ball! -- looking happy and attractive. Some folks were already sporting the Jazz Fest shirts, camisoles, skirts, and T-shirts. I imagine they'll have laundry to do before the fest starts on Friday -- or maybe these are lucky die-hard people with *so many* Jazz Fest-themed items of clothing that that is not an issue.

It was a family night for us at the Square. Our sister H, from Minnesota, was in town for a wedding and joined us straight from the airport. Sister D was there, just off work at a local white-shoe law firm, and I had ridden with our sister L and her husband, along with our nephew B, who is temporarily staying with them Uptown while he searches for a NOLA apartment. Big reunion with lots of hugging and kissing and exclamations of compliments ("You look fabulous!" "No, you do!") by the Henry Clay statue.

Side question: Why is there no statue of the Marquis de Lafayette in Lafayette Square?? The central statue is of Henry Clay, and the statue in the front, across from Gallier Hall, is of schoolchildren paying tribute to John McDonough. But where oh where is Lafayette? Isn't that strange?

OK, back to the concert. Or rather, back to the food. I discovered that the Rib Room at the Royal Orleans Hotel now has a booth selling their unbelievably delicious shaved prime rib with gravy on a pistolet topped with horseradish cream sauce. OMG -- devoted readers of this blog might recall that Big Man and I thought that was the absolute best thing at the French Quarter Festival 2 years ago. Of course I told them that as I purchased my pistolet (7 $1 tickets), and they apologized to me for not being at this year's festival. (I was actually relieved, because I had thought they were there, and I just couldn't locate them.) So I'm walking around holding a cup of wine and this fabulous behemoth of a sandwich, and people keep stopping me to ask where I got it. I sent so many people over there that my nephew said I should go and ask for a referral fee or discount on my next one.

Amanda Shaw and the Cute Guys is a great band and they come out like gangbusters, revving the crowd up right from the start. It is such a treat to see Amanda, who the whole city has watched grow up from a cute-as-a-button child prodigy to this amazingly attractive, mature, stage-wise performer. Highlights of the show were: "It's All Right," "Hot Tamale Baby" and a smokin' version of "Devil Went Down to Georgia."

There was so much good feeling when it was all over that it took a long time for the crowd to disperse. Wait til next week, when it'll be about TWICE as many people!