I remember asking my friends and family a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, “So, what are we doing for Halloween?” They thought I was crazy, but this same enthusiasm to forget the suffering and loss for awhile was not lost on the crowd of lucky ticket holders present for Voodoo 2005. The one-day event (the next day’s festivities took place in Memphis) was an invitation-only affair dedicated to the relief workers who had helped, and are still helping, New Orleans get back on its feet. The lineup dwindled from its original size (notable cancellations included the Flaming Lips, Foo Fighters, and Billy Idol, among others), but was still impressive. This also marked the first year that Voodoo featured an all-local stage showcasing acts like Theresa Andersson and Kermit Ruffins, a change from the mostly rock- and alternative-oriented lineups usually associated with the festival. That isn’t to say Voodoo has become Jazz Fest, Jr. Local hard-rock heroes Supagroup loudly declared how great it felt to be home, while Cowboy Mouth exuded faith in New Orleans’ resurrection through a spirited, if over-long, set. Even Ray Nagin made a brief appearance, with a feel-good speech and a tribe of Mardi Gras Indians in tow. And who better to open for the mayor than the legendary New York Dolls?

The Dolls were Voodoo’s “reunion act” this year, and like the Stooges before them, proved to a crowd of jaded young New Orleanians that after thirty years they still had it. If anything, the Dolls are one of those bands that really fit New Orleans: trashy, decadent, inebriated, and sealed with a drag makeover. Not to mention that they lost their most infamous member, lead guitarist Johnny Thunders, to a heroin overdose in New Orleans in 1991. You could almost see Thunders up there on stage in spirit, channeled through current guitarist Steve Conte and through the band’s energy and ferocity. Original members David Johansen (looking very Iggy-esque these days) and Syl Sylvain led their new bandmates in tearing through classics like “Personality Crisis” and “Looking for a Kiss,” proving that some anthems never age. The real crowd-pleaser, however, was an unexpected cover of “Piece of My Heart,” played in tribute to Thunders and old friend Janis Joplin.

Though not quite the Dolls’ heirs apparent, the Queens of the Stone Age’s intense stoner rock is one of the best things to reach FM radio since the golden age of grunge. Since their conception, the band has been an incestuous revolving door of alt-rock notables. The current lineup is similar to the one that played Voodoo 2003, only with Eleven frontman Alain Johannes taking over bass duties from the departed Nick Oliveri, and the regrettable loss of ex-Screaming Tree Mark Lanegan. You would think that stripping the band down to a four-piece would intensify their sound, but QOTSA don’t sound nearly as tough as they did in ’03. This probably has to do with the less-rip, more-trip approach of their latest material, because older rockers like “Feel Good Hit of the Summer” and “Go with the Flow” never sounded better.

The festival’s headliner, Nine Inch Nails, provided the most pleasant surprise for me. I have never been a NIN fan, enjoying a song or two in passing but never buying albums or the requisite black T-shirt. But former Garden District resident Trent Reznor convinced this nonbeliever that night, as he gave what was arguably the heaviest, most passionate performance of Voodoo 2005. Before he could even speak about New Orleans, in the middle of the band’s set, you could hear his feelings for his ravaged former hometown through his angst-ridden performance. They opened with signature hits “Head Like a Hole,” “March of the Pigs,” and “Terrible Lie,” and I never realized how truly cathartic NIN’s abrasive industrial sound and Reznor’s biting lyrics were until I heard them live. Add to that the guest appearance by poet Saul Williams, whose words reflected a storm that would never be forgotten, and you’ve got the makings of a huge emotional release. This is what hundreds of frustrated young New Orleans residents had been waiting for since returning home. By the time of set-closer “Hurt,” more heartbreaking now than ever before, those legions of fans had welcomed Reznor home as well