NOLA Defender, May 9, 2013
http://www.noladefender.com/content/...ance-down-2013
After hitting a 10-year high and a Springsteen set in 2012, JazzFest attendance was down slightly in 2013, according to organizers. The 2013 edition saw more than 425,000 pass through the gates, while 2012 saw 450,000, its highest since 2003.
Fleetwood Mac drew a crowd that some observers said was beginning to rival Springsteen's to the Acura Stage on the Fest's second Saturday. However, rain on Sunday, April 28 and Thursday, May 2, combined with chilly conditions on May 3 likely cut into the numbers. At the end of Trombone Shorty's closing set.
Sunday, Fest director Quint Davis said the weather put organizers through a "long, strange trip," with some of the messiest weather in Fest history on Thursday and Friday of the second weekend followed by some of the most glorious weather on the final two days.
The all-time JazzFest high attendance remains 2001's vaunted 650,000, which featured a single day of the Dave Matthews Band and Mystikal at the height of their popularity.