Bourbon Street Musicians, Sugar Bowl Teams Play On

Visitors and musicians returned on Thursday afternoon to Bourbon Street for the first time since a pickup truck plowed into the holiday crowd in New Orleans' French Quarter, killing 15 people. About a mile away, college football fans belatedly filled the Superdome to watch Notre Dame and Georgia square off in the Sugar Bowl. Security was increased in both places, with police snipers on rooftops watching the crowd file into the stadium and an armored vehicle placed at the Canal Street spot where the pickup's driver turned onto Bourbon, per the New York Times.

• Bourbon Street: The crowd entered the area cautiously, but Tyronne Johnson, 26, said he didn't hesitate to pick up his tuba as usual to play with Da One Way Brass Band for tourists. The band played "I'll Fly Away," a staple of New Orleans funerals, for the victims. Charles Wandfluh, 56, told two customers at his Daiquris Delight Shop that the truck had stopped in front of the bar. "I don't know that the magnitude of the whole thing really sets in yet," he said. Police had finished processing the crime scene early in the morning, allowing for the street's reopening.
• The Superdome: A moment of silence was observed for the attack victims before the game, and President Biden briefly addressed the city and nation. "The spirit of New Orleans can never be kept down, and that's also true of the spirit of America," the president said in a video shown on ESPN, per Deadline. "It felt safe," said Shannon Horsey, a Georgia fan, after going through security and entering the Superdome. "Coming in they searched by bag thoroughly. So I felt like, OK, they're really paying attention." Another fan found the "energy lower than a normal football game," per the AP. "You could sense the musicians trying to get people riled up. People are kind of going through the paces, a little bit in shock, but trying to make the best out of the day," Joe Horsey said.

• Another remembrance: The stadium announcer honored former President Jimmy Carter, who died on Sunday, during the second quarter, per the Times. Carter was the "only sitting president to attend the game," the announcer pointed out—that 1981 Sugar Bowl also was played by Georgia and Notre Dame.

(More New Orleans truck attack stories.)