Fats Domino returns to the stage

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Blues legend Fats Domino has performed in public for the first time since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.

The 79-year-old was rescued by boat from the floodwaters that overwhelmed the city following the hurricane in August 2005.

A sell-out crowd watched Domino return to the stage at a New Orleans nightclub on Saturday.

"It was emotional. There were a lot of people crying," said Quint Davis, of the city's Jazz and Heritage Festival.

"It wasn't that the music was living again for us. It wasn't about us. It was about Fats. Fats himself got to experience it again."

Platinum records

Domino last performed in public in 2005, three months before Hurricane Katrina battered New Orleans, leaving the city devastated.

He lost his home, his pianos and his gold and platinum records.

On Saturday he took to the stage wearing a white jacket and his signature white cap.

He opened the show with I'm Walkin', before getting the crowd on their feet with Blueberry Hill.

Domino went on to perform a string of hits, including I'm Ready, Ain't That a Shame, Shake, Rattle and Roll and Valley of Tears.

Speaking after the show, musician Art Neville, one of the four original Neville Brothers, said: "He's been through so much, like a lot of us. It was great to see him out there. It really was."

The Tipitina's Foundation, which put on Saturday night's show, has teamed with such artists as Sir Elton John, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt, Lenny Kravitz, Willie Nelson, BB King, Sir Paul McCartney and others to record a tribute album of Domino's songs.

Proceeds will benefit the non-profit foundation, which is working to provide the city's schools with instruments and helping artists recover from the hurricane.