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Mel B of the Brit-pop girl group Spice Girls arrives at the 'America's Got Talent' New Orleans auditions as a judge on March 4, 2013 in Louisiana. The former Spice Girl was booed by the New Orleans crowd after she said that she is not a fan of brass music. (Erika Goldring/Getty Images)
Mel B., one of the five former Spice Girls, told a New Orleans crowd that she is not a fan of brass music. The audience yelled, “go home” and, “no respect.”
Mel B., is one of two new judges on the latest series of America’s Got Talent. She sits as a judge with Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and Howard Stern. But she got off to a rocky start in New Orleans.
The first act was Lagniappe, a popular New Orleans brass band.
Mel B. told the New Orleans crowd and the band that she is not a fan of brass music. The audience yelled, “go home” and, “no respect.”
“Mel became unglued, and leaned over to Howie, who comforted her,” reported TMZ.
Brass music and brass bands have roots in New Orleans culture. Trumpets, trombones, clarinets, saxophones, sousaphones, and percussion were played in the 19th and 20th centuries by European-styled military bands and African folk music.
By the 1930s and 1940s, jazz developed. By the 1970s and 1980s brass bands in New Orleans added elements of funk, hip-hop, and bop to their music.
