(Lafayette, LA) If there is one thing that almost everyone who lives in Lafayette, Scott, Broussard, Youngsville, or anywhere within shouting distance of I-10 can understand, it’s hot air. We seem to have a lot of it around these parts during the summer months, and there is even more when the Louisiana Legislature is in session.
But hot air, in a controlled sense, is a key component to a story that was shared with us by a Lafayette musician. It involved a life-changing balloon flight that took place more than a thousand miles away from Louisiana.
What Is It Like to Fly in a Hot Air Balloon?
If you’ve ever experienced a “lighter than air” flight in a wicker basket beneath a brightly colored bag of hot air. In that case, you can appreciate the complete serenity of the moment and the complete insanity of what is physically happening before your eyes.
It’s like watching someone play a musical instrument. In the chaos of flying fingers on a keyboard or the neck of a guitar, there is a certain calm that is created as the notes and the chords come together to bring life to what the performer has imagined.
It was during the chaos and confusion of a hot air balloon flight that almost wasn’t Lafayette musician Jill Butler found comfort and serenity in a moment that truly defies belief.
Jill Butler is a Jazz and Blues pianist and vocalist who has graced stages across South Louisiana, the Gulf South, the Midwest, the Eastern Seaboard, and even international destinations such as London, Amsterdam, Singapore, and Bangkok.
Her current release, Joyride, has produced six singles that have all earned Top 40 airplay on the smooth jazz formatted radio stations around the globe. Joyride also earned Grammy consideration back in 2024…