The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival's scheduling cubes for 2023 were recently unveiled, and fans are eager to analyze the diverse line-up of performers and schedule conflicts. This year's festival features an array of headliners and local acts, with plenty of exciting collaborations and unforgettable moments in store for festival-goers. Here is a more detailed breakdown of some of the most intriguing aspects of the festival's scheduling:
The Hardest Headliner Decision...
One of the biggest scheduling conflicts of the festival is set to take place on the first Friday, April 28th. Lizzo will be performing on the main Festival Stage at the same time that Robert Plant & Alison Krauss are set to perform on the Gentilly Stage and Wu-Tang Clan with the Soul Rebels are scheduled for Congo Square. This is a tough decision for fans, as all three are strong and intriguing headliners. The Blues Tent is also hosting Mavis Staples during this time, adding to the difficult choice.
However, Jazz Fest producer Quint Davis has a trick up his sleeve. He loves to schedule complementary local acts ahead of like-minded headliners, both to build a cohesive multi-hour program and to expose the locals to the headliners' bigger audiences. During Tuesday’s press conference at the Fair Grounds, Davis reeled off the Lizzo/Tank/Freedia trifecta and joked that he didn’t really need to mention anybody else. With Big Freedia at 2 p.m. and Tank & the Bangas at 3:40 p.m., fans can enjoy an incredible musical experience leading up to Lizzo's performance.
Buddy Guy Moves Back to the Big Stage
Blues guitar legend Buddy Guy is returning to the main stage after several years of performing on smaller stages. This year's festival will be his last tour, making his performance even more special for fans. He will be performing at 3:25 p.m. on Thursday, May 4th, just ahead of Carlos Santana's closing set. There is potential for either Guy or Santana to sit in during the other's set, creating a memorable moment for fans.
Ed Sheeran's Sound Check
Ed Sheeran will be performing on the Festival Stage on April 29th, just before kicking off a North American stadium tour in Dallas. This is a high-profile warm-up for his stadium tour and fans will have the opportunity to see him without his full stadium-sized production. The Revivalists will also be performing on the same stage just before Sheeran, giving fans a double bill of incredible music.
A Chill First Sunday
The first Sunday is expected to be a more low-key day compared to the first Saturday. The closing acts on the Festival Stage are Gary Clark Jr. and the Tedeschi Trucks Band, both of which are fantastic performers but lack the drawing power of Sheeran. Vocalist Jill Scott is set to perform on the Congo Stage, and she rarely visits this market except to play festivals. Kenny “Footloose” Loggins is also performing on the Gentilly Stage, adding an exciting element of surprise to the day's schedule.
Jon Batiste's Big Moment
Jon Batiste is a Kenner native and graduate of St. Augustine High School and New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. He was honored as the featured artist on the 2022 Jazz Fest’s commemorative poster, even though a scheduling conflict prevented him from performing. This year, he will be given the headlining slot on the main Festival Stage on the second Friday, a well-deserved honor for his representation of the city throughout his stratospheric ascent over the past two years. Irma Thomas, one of
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