New Orleans in the summer is hot, humid, and vibrant, with people staying up all night and indulging in revelry.
The festivities kick off in early June, with North America's most jazz-infused music festival slowly building to its peak.
By mid-July, a two-week food carnival entices even the most seasoned gourmands to return home in pure delight.
Finally, as summer draws to a close in August, the theater festival takes center stage, providing a platform for every art enthusiast to showcase their talents.
This city, reborn after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, carries over two centuries of history and weight. It has once again flourished with a dazzling charm, earning back its moniker as the "Big Easy."
There's no doubt that this city is the most unique and enchanting in North America, with its distinct character, temperament, and soul.
Taking a ride on an old streetcar and slowly traveling along St. Charles Street, from the French Quarter to the heart of the city, feels like entering a time warp, experiencing a brief but tumultuous history.
From the ancient and elegant French Quarter to the trendy and youthful American business district, from the Charleston-like Oak Avenue to the Victorian-style buildings that were all the rage at the beginning of the last century—these different languages, cultures, and fashions intermingle closely with faith, giving birth to the unique styles of New Orleans, including carnival, jazz, and decadence.
Today, Bourbon Street in the city center is pulsating with sensuality, drawing people from all walks of life, regardless of race, age, gender, or class. Every night, the street comes alive with people playing and singing. As you move north, crossing St. Ann Avenue, you'll find various performances centered around "The Exiled Lafayette Café," where brilliant colors adorn the thrilling night.
Continuing north, beyond Esplanade Avenue, you can escape the bustling carnival and music festival scene and enter the Marini District, a hidden jazz haven known only to locals.
Passing by historic bookstores, clothing shops, tattoo parlors, and colorful taverns on every corner, you'll encounter young individuals with flamboyant and eccentric personalities.
They stand on the streets, puffing away on cigarettes, leaning against weathered brick walls, and observing passersby with an air of indifference amidst the melodious and chaotic jazz notes.
In the midsummer night of New Orleans, it feels like the years have melted away. In the warm breeze, the sound of the nearby rushing Mississippi River narrates the forgotten and submerged legends of this city and its land.
It's in this environment that you'll find the "Noon" bar.
Bizarre graffiti adorns its inky black exterior wall—large and small, black and white, paintings and signatures, all arranged haphazardly. Over time, these graffiti create a unique, unplanned beauty, recording the bar's relatively short history.
Across the entire North American continent, jazz has gradually waned. Even in New York, where elegant jazz once flowed through its streets and alleys, it has seen a decline.
New Orleans has become the last haven of jazz, and you can feel its presence as you wander through the city's streets and alleys—the very air seems to carry the essence of jazz.
However, jazz is not the city's only symbol. The passionate and culturally diverse Creole people welcome all music lovers with open arms. This land's veins pulse with golden musical notes, day and night, enough to captivate every tourist.
The "Noon" bar is no exception. Besides jazz bands, the stage hosts a diverse array of performers, spanning rock, pop, country, soul, folk, bluegrass, and various other musical genres. There's a performance every night, from Monday to Friday, throughout the year.
Tonight is Thursday, a workday just like yesterday, but there's a subtle shift in the atmosphere. The anticipation and excitement of approaching Friday are already in the air. The fiery sunset still lingers on the horizon, and the bar is filling up with patrons. You can already sense the energy before dinner.
Duncan-Turner is one of these patrons.
After a long, mundane workday that left his mind nearly numb, he left the office with a sense of desperation. However, the pent-up boredom and frustration in his chest lingered, making him restless. He abandoned the idea of heading home and instead entered the bar, eager to cool off with a cold beer. He planned to eat later and wrap up Thursday's schedule.
After all, tomorrow is another workday.
Sitting at the bar, he swiveled his head around. The bar had about thirty or forty patrons. While it wasn't packed to capacity, it occupied roughly one-third of the space. However, the tired expressions on the faces were familiar, and even among strangers, there was a sense of camaraderie.
Duncan let out a long sigh, took another gulp of beer, and relaxed his limbs. He couldn't help but emit a contented sound, "Ah..."
His gaze shifted to the stage in front of him, looking forward to the upcoming performance. Drinking beer, listening to music, and emptying his mind—this was the perfect way to start his evening. But he wondered what kind of performance awaited him tonight.
Meanwhile, backstage in the corridor, Ollie was checking the situation in the bar. With a cheerful expression, he turned around and entered the lounge, eager to share the good news with his bandmates. "There are more guests tonight than last night. It's almost half full!"
For One Day Kings, this was indeed a positive development.
Although the bar's owner, Sam, had agreed to the band's encore performance tonight, the issue was that the bar's performance schedule was already booked solid.
There was no reason for Sam to rearrange the lineup for the One Day Kings—after all, the band wasn't yet renowned enough to demand such changes. As a result, the band was slotted as the opening act.
Typically, on weekdays, it would take until after 10 o'clock in the evening for the bar to truly fill up. But tonight, the band was in luck, as the audience was even larger than during last night's 11 o'clock performance.
Setting aside other external factors, performances relied on audience support. The interaction between performers and the audience was the essence of live shows. Otherwise, what was the point of performing to an empty venue?
This was particularly significant for Ronan, who could feel his heart racing a little too fast.