Foo Fighters, Stevie Nicks, The Who, and Willie Nelson are among the headliners who will perform at this year’s New Orleans Jazz Fest, which — after two years of Covid-canceled festivals — returns to New Orleans from April 29 to May 8.
The Black Crowes, Luke Combs, Jimmy Buffett, Lionel Richie, and Erykah Badu are also among the top-billed talent, with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Death Cab for Cutie, Norah Jones, Randy Newman, the Avett Brothers, Dawn Richard, Kool & the Gang, and dozens of New Orleans legends — including Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Big Freedia, and Dumpstaphunk — also featured.
This year’s lineup also includes Ziggy Marley performing the music of his father Bob Marley, a “Newport All-Stars” tribute to that fest’s late founder George Wein, Cee Lo Green leading a James Brown tribute, plus sets from Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, Asleep at the Wheel, Melissa Etheridge, Buddy Guy, Billy Strings, Ludacris, and more.
Nicks, Foo Fighters, and The Who were all among the headliners for the 2020 Jazz Fest that was canceled by the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic; the 2021 Jazz Fest — which featured Foo Fighters alongside the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, and Dead & Company — was scheduled for the next spring, but that too was postponed to the fall and ultimately canceled due to the Delta variant.
Earlier this year, Foo Fighters released a professionally recorded video concert from their full 2021 show at Madison Square Garden.
The rock legends re-opened the iconic New York arena after 466 days of COVID closure, with their date having the honor of being the first full-capacity show there since the beginning of the pandemic.
The band ran through a massive 24-song setlist. Aside from all the classics, the band performed a live debut of Radiohead’s “Creep,” and they also performed Queen’s “Somebody To Love” and the Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancing,” the latter of which was released on Hail Satin, their Record Store Day alter-egos the Dee Gees.
Visit New Orleans Jazz Fest’s official website for more information.