Oaktopia organizers dropped major news last month: the final headliner of the Denton music festival would be Norah Jones, the Grammy-winning singer and former UNT student.
Promotional announcement graphics had her name first, and I initially wondered how well Jones would work in a festival that was also boasting DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown (aka Erykah Badu) and Dr. Dog. Jones is considered a part of the alternative, folk, and pop scenes, but her childlike yet soulful style keeps her from being fully a part of any of these genres.
This is coming from a kid who got a hold of Come Away With Me when it was released, and tried to croon along with Norah every time I was by my radio. She had a voice unlike most others constantly on the radio, and she had a girl-next-door look and vibe that was appealing to an awkward 9-year-old. Remembering what that album meant to me, I committed to going to Oaktopia on Friday night to see Jones perform.
My roommate, sister, and I—along with many others—went back and forth between the two outdoor stages, taking a break around 8:30 to refuel and sit amidst a functioning AC unit at West Oak. We were so excited for Jones that when Cat Power finished her solo set, we made our way up to the mostly empty grounds in front of the UNT Stage while others flocked to West Stage for Beirut. As 10 o’clock loomed closer, fans of all ages, heights, and levels of intoxication closed in around us.
She and her band took the stage with a lovely cover of Tony Bennett’s “Cold Cold Heart,” from the album I knew best. Jones is an interesting performer to witness, and seems at times paradoxical. She adds flair to her songs as she sings, playing either piano or guitar. She delivers a sound that goes above and beyond what you hear on her albums, but isn’t the kind to return shouts of “I LOVE YOU!!!” or “Play [insert song title]!!!” with anything more than a “Thank you” or a little chuckle and a full smile.
Jones told the audience that her band asked her where they should eat, but that when she was a student in Denton, she lived off of peanut butter sandwiches. She played “Don’t Know What It Means,” a song from another band of hers, the alternative country act Puss N Boots. She asked the audience if that sounded like Texas to them, before transitioning into “Lone Star.”
In a few ways, Oaktopia is like most other music festivals: sponsors advertise on screens and host shows, ticket prices run high for a city with a large student and recent graduate base, and patrons had to budget wisely to buy the ticket with money left over for a $5 beer and $30 shirt. But what I’ve found that Oaktopia is really good at is bringing out a diverse crowd of people, most of whom are not only excited to see some of their favorite artists, but who are also eager to experience totally new acts.
The festival also strives to strike a balance between local and international acts, and Norah Jones is the perfect end result to that. When she performed “Don’t Know Why,” the audience sang along en masse. When she finished, she replied with “Thank you. Wow, that was really cool…y’all sang with me. People at my shows don’t sing along with me.” While that statement makes me question the sanity of other Jones fans across the world, I think we sang along because Jones is a testament to so many good things about Denton, and her performance truly personified the aim of Oaktopia.
