Dallas apparently has a large population of hot-blooded “Who Dats,” former New Orleans residents who stayed after the Hurricane Katrina evacuation in 2005 or moved there for job opportunities.
To Sunday, On September 15, the hearts of those loyal, lily-bedecked fans swelled like beignets in hot oil as the Saints crushed the Cowboys 44-19.
Following their natural instinct, after the game ended, hundreds upon hundreds of Texas Saints fans streamed into the street near AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, forming a sort of second parade like one would expect to see on North Claiborne Avenue.
To the rhythm of the cheerful cries of an authentic brass band, umbrellas whirled, whistles blew, handkerchiefs fluttered and shoes clattered on the sidewalk.
Jermaine Devezin, a 9th Ward native who moved to Dallas after Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent levee breach 19 years ago, is co-founder of the Unfaded Brass Band, which provided the soundtrack to the second series.
When the Saints beat the Cowboys, an indoor second line erupts at the Ten10 Events Center.
Even some of the otherwise dejected Cowboys fans enjoyed the impromptu victory parade on Sunday, Devezin said.
Of course, some had “that look on their faces” which suggested that their better nature had temporarily disappeared from them.
“We weren’t too disrespectful,” Devesin said. “They were angry enough.”
Bass drummer Justina Sylvester of Unfaded said she moved from New Orleans to Dallas in 2011 for work. Songs played during the short parade included “Tornado” and “AP Touro” by the Rebirth Brass Band, as well as an original number called “Cow Town.”
Sylvester said spectators were excited because the parade was so “unexpected.” Sylvester said she hoped the band’s performance would do justice to her former hometown.
Former New Orleans player Akiea Macklin traveled from Houston to Dallas to participate in the festivities surrounding the Saints-Cowboys game.
Akiea Macklin was able to assure her that they did. Macklin moved to Houston after Katrina, but she still bleeds black and gold on Sundays. Macklin said she drove to Dallas to be near the game and support the Saints “whether they win or lose.” The second row, she said, “felt like home.”
“You couldn’t tell we were in Dallas,” she said.
Tell us about your connections in New Orleans. In the second row were some hoplites, the female bodyguards of the Krewe of Athena Mardi Gras parade in Metairie. Hoplite Jasmine Procter said she and her fellow Athena members had traveled to Dallas just to attend the big party that takes place across the street from the stadium.
Former New Orleans residents Kevin “Big Daddie THE DJ” Netters and his business partner Derrick “My DJ Derrick D” Hudson are doing their best to keep the culture of Crescent City, Texas “intact.”
Kevin “Big Daddie THE DJ” Netters is a former New Orleans resident who does his best to keep the traditions of the Crescent City, Texas alive. He and his business partner Derrick “My DJ Derrick D” Hudson have created a black and gold watch party series for all the expatriate Saints fans in the area and beyond who can’t attend the games in person but want to be close to the action.
More or less a thousand Who Dats filled the Ten10 Events Center on Sunday for the game, the music and the camaraderie. Needless to say, the crowd went wild as Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara and the gang rolled over Dallas like a carnival float over a moon pie.
After the two-minute warning, Unfaded started the victory music and had the crowd parade through the hall.
Then the wild mob stormed into the street and down the block, just as it does in New Orleans, 500 miles to the southeast.
Bandleader Devezin acknowledged the success of the event, saying the exiled Who Dats are “slowly bringing the culture of New Orleans to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.”
Who Dats fill the Ten10 Events Center for a Saints game viewing party, across from the Cowboys’ At&T Stadium.
