Sunday Cinema | Meter Men With Page McConnell At Jazz Fest

In the fall of 2012 George Porter Jr., Zigaboo Modeliste and Leo Nocentelli of legendary New Orleans funk act The Meters recruited Phish keyboardist Page McConnell for a brief run of shows under the moniker “The Meter Men.” The pairing worked so well that the trio brought back McConnell to assist at a handful of shows in 2013 and 2014. Most of these performances took place at intimate venues, but on May 5, 2013 the quartet played before thousands at the New Orleans Jazz Fest.

The 2013 Jazz Fest was the first in the long and illustrious history of the event that was televised. AXS TV showed parts of many Jazz Fest sets including a little over a half hour of The Meter Men’s set from the Acura Stage, which stands as the only available professionally-shot footage of McConnell in action with Modeliste, Porter Jr. and Nocentelli. We get a taste of an instrumental to start, along with a ripping “What’cha Say,” but it’s the near 20-minute “People Say” that serves as the main course of these New Orleans feast. Each member of the quartet has a chance to shine and show off their massive talent by the time “People Say” comes to a close.

Watch what AXS TV aired of The Meter Men’s 2013 New Orleans Jazz Fest set: