Editor’s note: The following are a series of thoughts and insights OffBeat contributor Rory Callais collected during the 2014 Voodoo Music Experience. They represent Rory’s take on the events and this post is intended to start a conversation about the topics presented.

– Call me a heretic, but I think that despite Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue’s stellar musicianship and fresh, unique sound, the band is still missing that identifiable great song to define them.

I firmly believe they have that song in them, but we’ve just yet to see it.

That said, not many bands can quote Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin’” and make it work.

Not even Limp Bizkit can pull that off.

Photo by Elsa Hahne

– The design for the restroom area left a lot to be desired.

With the port-a-potties fenced off with a single entrance, bottlenecking occurred fairly often.

If this isn’t fixed for future festivals, I fear a Lord of the Flies situation may erupt.

– “Jared Leto is a cultural icon,” said the gentleman behind me without a hint of irony in his voice.

I’m not sure how being a perennial supporting actor in independent films and the front man of a middling rock band makes one a “cultural icon,” but a large Saturday night crowd at Voodoo seemed to agree with him.

Leto came out in a papal/imperial robe that I hope was a Halloween costume (though I strongly suspect otherwise), and for the 20 minutes I watched them, the most exciting moment was receiving a SportsCenter update that the New Orleans Pelicans staged a comeback against the Dallas Mavericks and were leading at the end of the third quarter (fittingly, our Pelicans eventually lost the game).

Photo by Stephen Maloney

To be clear: I do not hate Jared Leto or his band.

It’s just that when I imagine the absolute worst of bland, toothless, and safe corporate rock, the music in my head sounds a lot like Thirty Seconds to Mars.

Bonus Random Thought on Thirty Seconds to Mars:

Every time Benjamin Booker dropped into a quieter, more introspective part of his regularly high-energy songs during his competing set on the Flambeau stage, soundbleed from the Thirty Seconds to Mars set completely obliterated the moment. At one point, Jared Leto repeating “Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!” for more than 30 seconds steamrolled right over Booker’s tender moment.

What are your random thoughts from Voodoo Fest 2014? Leave them in the comment section.