New Orleans Jazz Fest 2015 headliners: Elton John, The Who, Ed Sheeran, No Doubt, Pitbull



Roger Daltrey, left and Pete Townshend of The Who, seen here at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix F1 Concert on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, are coming to the New Orleans Jazz Fest 2015. (AP photo/Baiju Sunder)



Keith Spera, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
January 12, 2015



The lineup of the 2015 New Orleans Jazz Fest boasts Elton John, The Who, Ed Sheeran, Pitbull, Jimmy Buffett, No Doubt, T.I., Tony Bennett paired with Lady Gaga, Keith Urban and Wilco. They'll join Widespread Panic, Maze, the O'Jays, Hozier, John Legend, Alison Krauss, Chicago, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Guy, Steve Winwood, Jimmy Cliff, Ryan Adams and Kacey Musgraves, plus the original Meters and hundreds of other Louisiana artists at the Fair Grounds this spring.

The 2015 Jazz Fest -- officially it's the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell -- is April 24-26 and April 30-May 3.

Over the past decade, the festival has significantly amplified its roster of "guest" artists, i.e. marquee acts that are not necessarily from Louisiana. Even by these more ambitious standards, this 46th edition of the festival is especially top-heavy.

The top talent level, comprised of the Acura, Congo Square and Samsung Galaxy stage headliners, is laden with classic and contemporary heavyweights in rock, rap, pop and R&B. The second tier - the artists that populate the beefed-up Sheraton Fais Do-Do Stage and the Blues and Jazz tents - is also deep and wide.

The New Orleans Jazz Fest is owned by the non-profit New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation. It is produced by Quint Davis and his Festival Productions Inc.-New Orleans, in conjunction with AEG Live, the second-largest promoter of live concerts and festivals in the world.

A pair of British legends will close out the festival's main Acura Stage on successive Saturdays. The Who, featuring founding guitarist Pete Townshend and vocalist Roger Daltrey, stops at the festival the first weekend as part of the band's 50th anniversary tour. According to the archival web site thewholive.net, the band has not performed in New Orleans since a gig at the long-since-demolished Warehouse on November 29, 1971, which was six months after the second Jazz Fest.

The Who's 50th anniversary tour is being promoted by AEG Live. AEG has helped facilitate the booking of many of the major names that have appeared at Jazz Fest over the past decade.

Elton John has long been on Jazz Fest's wish list, and will finally make his debut on the second Saturday. Aside from his obvious commercial appeal, he is an avowed fan of New Orleans piano players, especially Fats Domino and Allen Toussaint. During his hit parade at the Smoothie King Center in March 2014 - his first New Orleans concert in 13 years -- John dedicated "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" to Toussaint, thanking him for the "countless hours, days, months of pleasure he's given me."






If the weather is favorable, look for Elton John Saturday to draw one of the festival's largest crowds.

The British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is among the most successful new artists to emerge in the past four years. Indicative of his popularity in his native England, he's booked for three consecutive nights at London's 80,000-capacity Wembley Stadium in July. He concludes a South American tour in Brazil on April 30, then heads to New Orleans for what is, for now, his only announced North American show.

Living legend Tony Bennett made his Jazz Fest debut in 2009 with a swingin' set on what was then called the Gentilly Stage; the following year, he painted the festival poster depicting Louis Prima. Now 88, Bennett returns with a far younger collaborator: Pop provocateur and avowed Bennett fan Lady Gaga. The unlikely duo released an album of jazz standards called "Cheek to Cheek" in 2014; it hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart. They starred in a PBS special, but their only announced joint concert appearances so far this year are two dates in Texas leading up to their Jazz Fest show.

Southern California ska-pop band No Doubt scored a massive hit with 1995's "Tragic Kingdom." The band has spent much of the past decade on intermittent hiatus, as singer Gwen Stefani has released solo albums, had children and, until recently, served as a judge on the NBC talent show "The Voice." She and the band return to action in 2015 with shows at Jazz Fest and, later in May, Rock in Rio USA in Las Vegas and at the Bottlerock festival in Napa Valley, Calif.

Pitbull, born in Miami to parents of Cuban descent, has built himself into a global brand via high-energy hits that draw on hip-hop, Latin music and dance. He's also ubiquitous as a pitchman for various products and a familiar face at high-profile televised events.

Jimmy Buffett, a longtime friend of the festival and Quint Davis, generally attends even if he's not on the bill. Last year, he joined Toussaint onstage and showed up in line at the Prejean's Restaurant booth to buy pheasant, quail and Andouille sausage gumbo. This year, he'll work for his gumbo by performing for the first time since his unplugged set at the 2012 festival.

Living legend Tony Bennett made his Jazz Fest debut in 2009 with a swingin' set on what was then called the Gentilly Stage; the following year, he painted the festival poster depicting Louis Prima. Now 88, Bennett returns with a far younger collaborator: Pop provocateur and avowed Bennett fan Lady Gaga. The unlikely duo released an album of jazz standards called "Cheek to Cheek" in 2014; it hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart. They starred in a PBS special, but their only announced joint concert appearances so far this year are two dates in Texas leading up to their Jazz Fest show.

Ferriday native and rock 'n' roll founding father Jerry Lee Lewis, who recalled his oft-tumultuous 79 years of life in writer Rick Bragg's recent biography, returns to Jazz Fest this year. He last performed at the festival in 2007.

The Irish singer-songwriter Hozier was among 2014's breakout artists. His massive hit "Take Me to Church" is nominated for a Grammy as song of the year.

Jazz Fest veterans Wilco are stopping at the Fair Grounds during their 20th anniversary tour through the South.

Texas blues-rock stalwart Delbert McClinton underwent emergency bypass surgery a month before his scheduled show at the Blues Tent during the 2014 Jazz Fest, forcing him to cancel. He'll try again this year.

New Orleans trumpeter Terence Blanchard is among the world's foremost practitioners of straight-ahead hard bop; he's also an accomplished composer of film scores. Ever-restless, Blanchard has embarked on a fresh creative path with his new band, E-Collective. He plays trumpet and keyboards. He's joied by Cuban-born pianist Fabian Almazan, winner of the 2014 DownBeat critics' poll for rising star pianist and a Blanchard collaborator since 2007; guitarist Charles Altura, best known for his work with Chick Corea and Ambrose Akinmusire; bassist Donald Ramsey; and drummer Oscar Seaton. After playing to sold-out rooms across Europe, the E-Collective made its American debut at Snug Harbor in December, and will make its Jazz Fest debut this spring.

For the first time, the original Meters will be featured on the festival's closing Sunday. Keyboardist Art Neville recruited guitarist Leo Nocentelli, bassist George Porter Jr. and drummer Zigaboo Modeliste in the 1960s to play French Quarter clubs. Together, the Meters epitomized New Orleans funk on their own records and as the house band at Allen Toussaint's SeaSaint studios, backing everyone from Dr. John and Lee Dorsey to Robert Palmer. They disbanded amidst financial turmoil in the late 1970s. In 2005, Quint Davis brokered a reunion for the 2005 Jazz Fest, followed by additional gigs. They split up, then reunited for several shows in 2011. Their last local appearance was a sold-out nighttime show at the Howlin' Wolf during the 2012 Jazz Fest.

"It's great that Quint asked us to do it," Nocentelli said of the upcoming Jazz Fest gig. "We've had our differences, but I have to applaud him for supporting the original Meters. He realizes what we've contributed."


http://www.nola.com/jazzfest/index.ssf/2015/01/new_orleans_jazz_fest_2015_hea.ht...

FRIDAY, APRIL 24

Keith Urban, Wilco, Jimmy Cliff, Hozier, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Nicholas Payton, Butler, Bernstein & The Hot 9, Wayne Toups, Snarky Puppy, Lágbájá of Nigeria, La Santa Cecilia, Jimmie Vaughan & the Tilt A Whirl Band feat. Lou Ann Barton, Sunpie & the Louisiana Sunspots, Royal Teeth, Brass-A-Holics, Honey Island Swamp Band, Louis Prima, Jr & the Witnesses, Going Home to Gospel with Davell Crawford, Kent Jordan, Earphunk, New Birth Brass Band, Mia Borders, Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie, Lil' Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers, Lars Edegran & the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra, The Larry Garner Blues Band, Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band, Kenny Neal, Leo Jackson & The Melody Clouds, Grayson Capps, Paul Sanchez & Minimum Rage, Jonathon "Boogie" Long, Mark Braud's New Orleans Jazz Giants, Johnny Sansone, The Rayo Brothers, Semolian Warriors Mardi Gras Indians, Jamil Sharif, The Irvin Mayfield School of Music Ambassadors, The Blues Masters feat. Big Al Carson, Alexey Marti, Real Untouchable Brass Band, The New John Robichaux Society Orchestra feat. Wendell Brunious and Tom Hook, Big Nine, Go Getters, and Ladies of Unity Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, Bishop Sean T. Elder & the Mount Hermon Baptist Church Mass Choir, N. O. Hip Hop Experience - DJ Jubilee ft. Partners-N-Crime, Keedy Black, DJ Mike Swift, Jimi Clever, T-Ray the Violinist, and Dobama, Tom McDermott & Friends, John Michael Bradford, The Revelers, Kid Simmons' Local International Allstars, Pastor Terry Gullage & the Greater Mount Calvary Voices of Redemption, New Wave Brass Band, Tonia Scott & the Anointed Voices, Collage 3, Sean Johnson & the Wild Lotus Band, Native Nations Intertribal, The Bester Singers and The Dynamic Smooth Family Gospel Singers, Kumbuka African Drum & Dance Collective, Grayhawk presents Native American Lore and Tale, Young Audiences Brass Band Throwdown, The Caesar Brothers FunkBox, The Gospel Inspirations of Boutte, Calliope Puppets, Encore Academy, Miss Claudia presents "Delicious!", Keep N It Real and We Are One Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs.

SATURDAY, APRIL 25

The Who, John Legend, Ryan Adams, Robert Cray, Juvenile and Mannie Fresh Together, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk with special guest Art Neville, Shovels & Rope, Cassandra Wilson, John P. Kee & New Life, Kenny Garrett, The Revivalists, Vieux Farka Touré, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Sonny Landreth, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas, GIVERS, Luke James, Joe Krown Trio feat. Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Russell Batiste, Jr., Jeremy Davenport, Ellis Marsalis, Big Chief Walter Cook and the Creole Wild West Mardi Gras Indians, Raw Oyster Cult, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Jewel Brown with Gregg Stafford's Jazz Hounds, Kid Chocolate's Onward Brass Band, Terry "Harmonica" Bean, The New Orleans Klezmer Allstars, Tommy Malone, Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band, New Leviathan Oriental Fox-Trot Orchestra, Tank and the Bangas, Goldman Thibodeaux and the Lawtell Playboys, Tyronne Foster & the Arc Singers, Banu Gibson with NOCCA and NOTJC guests, Coyotes, Robin Barnes, Calvin Johnson, Tony Hall & the New Orleans Souls Stars' Tribute to James Brown, TBC Brass Band, The Wee Trio feat. James Westfall, Warren Storm - Willie Tee & Cypress, John Rankin and Friends, Dr. Brice Miller & Mahogany Brass Band, 101 Runners, John Lisi & Delta Funk!, The New Orleans Black Chorale - Tribute to Moses Hogan, Sweet Crude, Curtis Pierre and the Samba Kids, Alexis Spight, Pocket Aces Brass Band, Asheson, Cory "Caesar" Ricks, Favor, Divine Ladies, Dumaine Gang, and Family Ties Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, First Emanuel Baptist Church Mass Choir, Smitty Dee's Brass Band, Audrey Ferguson and The Voices of Distinction, Richard Comeaux Pedal Steel with the River Rats, Julio y Cesar Band, Mark Brooks and Friends with guest Yolanda Windsay, N.O. Quarter Shanty Krewe, Voices of Peter Claver, Young Band Nation Blues Project, Native Nations Intertribal, Resurrection Baptist Church Choir of Schertz Texas, NOCCA presents Carnival of the Animals, Kai Knight's Silhouette Dance Ensemble, Single Ladies and Men, Nine Times, and Uptown Swingers Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, Di Filippo Marionette, Rising Dragon Lion Dance Team.

SUNDAY, APRIL 26

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Pitbull, Allen Toussaint, Delbert McClinton, Irma Thomas, Angelique Kidjo, Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Shirley Caesar, BWB featuring Rick Braun, Kirk Whalum & Norman Brown, Rebirth Brass Band, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Tribute to Jelly Roll Morton featuring Henry Butler, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet: 40th Anniversary with special guests, Cowboy Mouth, Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, John Mooney & Bluesiana, Carolyn Wonderland, James Andrews & the Crescent City Allstars, C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band, The Zion Harmonizers, Little Freddie King Blues Band, The New Orleans Suspects, Kristin Diable, Savoy Family Cajun Band, Creole String Beans, Hot 8 Brass Band, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Golden Eagles, Flow Tribe, Leah Chase, Victor Goines and Faubourg Quartet present Charlie Parker with Strings, Luke Winslow King, Brass Bed, The Rocks of Harmony, Big Chief Keke and the Comanche Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, NOCCA Allstar Alumni Jazz Jam, Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys, Jo "Cool" Davis with guest Helen Durieux, The Deslondes, Tim Laughlin, New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings, The Furious Five, Untouchables, and Big Steppers Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, Young Pinstripe Brass Band, Peter Harris, Bill Summers & Jazalsa, Wendell Brunious & the New Orleans Allstars, Rumba Buena, Kevin Stylez, Don "Moose" Jamison Heritage School of Music, Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble, The Last Straws, Tornado Brass Band, Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church Mass Choir, Young Guardians of the Flame, Young Men Olympia Aid, New Look, and First Division Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, Mikayla, OTRA, Kim Che're, Ray Abshire Cajun Band, Native Nations Intertribal, Capoeira New Orleans, Judy Stock, Nineveh Baptist Church Mass Choir, OperaCréole, Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre, Franklin Avenue Music Ministry, DJ Raj Smoove, Adella Adella the Storyteller and the Freeman Brothers.

THURSDAY, APRIL 30

Widespread Panic, Third World, Alison Krauss & Union Station, The Word, Lil' Ed and The Blues Imperials, Cyril Neville, Sturgill Simpson, Bonerama, Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys, Kierra Sheard, Monty Alexander: Harlem-Kingston Express, Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience, Robert "Bilbo" Walker & the California Dolls, Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys, Shamarr Allen & the Underdawgs, Amanda Shires, Eric Lindell, Eagle & Hawk, Meschiya Lake & the Little Big Horns, Stephanie Jordan Big Band, The Iguanas, The Roots of Music Marching Crusaders, New Orleans Nightcrawlers, Fi Yi Yi & the Mandingo Warriors, Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole, Yvette Landry Band, TAUK, Higher Heights Reggae Band, Lil' Buck Sinegal Blues Band, Tribute to Lionel Ferbos feat. The Palm Court Jazz Band & Friends, Spencer Bohren & the Whippersnappers, Leroy Jones & the New Orleans-Helsinki Connection, Phillip Manuel swings The Beatles, Ottertrail Native American Dance Troupe, The Pfister Sisters, Paulin Brothers Brass Band, Kevin Naquin & the Ossun Playboys, Secondline Jammers, VIP Ladies, and Men of Class Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, Tonya Boyd-Cannon & the Crieux, Joe Hall & the Louisiana Cane Cutters, McDonogh 35 High School Gospel Choir, Free Agents Brass Band, Grupo Sensacion, Kelly Love Jones, Idlewild String Confederation, Pat Casey & The New Sound, Young Seminole Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, Lyle Henderson & Emmanu-EL, Trumpet Mafia, The Jones Sisters, Sweet Cecilia, Louis Ford & his New Orleans Flairs, Donnell Russell & UPS, Eleanor McMain Singing Mustangs, Ruby & the Rogues, Joseph Torregano Quartet, Sons of Jazz Brass Band, Men Buckjumpers and Revolution Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, Da Knockaz Brass Band, KID smART Showcase, Landry Walker Charter High School Choir, Helen Cox High School Choir, Kalpana the Storyteller, NOCCA presents the History of Second Line, ISL Circus Arts Kids, Square Dance with the Swamp Lilies, McMain Secondary School Drama Troupe.

FRIDAY, MAY 1

No Doubt, Chicago, Anthony Hamilton, Galactic featuring Macy Gray, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Paloma Faith, Estelle, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Shooter Jennings with Waymore's Outlaws, Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. & the Zydeco Twisters, Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars, Christian Scott, Gurrumul, The Gospel Soul of Irma Thomas, Gal Holiday & the Honky Tonk Revue, Marc Broussard, Donald Harrison, Jr., Luther Kent & Trickbag, Charmaine Neville Band, PresHall Brass, Sasha Masakowski, Rev. John Wilkins, Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys, Jarekus Singleton, Orange Kellin's New Orleans DeLuxe Orchestra, James Rivers Movement, Johnny Sketch and The Dirty Notes, Connie and Dwight Fitch with the St. Raymond & St. Leo the Great Gospel Choir, Doreen's Jazz New Orleans, Gerald French & the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band with special guests, Maggie Koerner, Herbert McCarver & Pinstripe Brass Band, White Cloud Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, Panorama Jazz Band, Hot Club of New Orleans, Erica Falls, The Honorable South, Roland Guerin, Jesse McBride presents The Next Generation, J. Monque'D Blues Band, Ernie Vincent & the Top Notes, Shades of Praise, Curtis Pierre and Escola de Samba Casa Samba, Jambalaya Cajun Band with guest D.L. Menard, Bamboula 2000, Patrice Fisher & Arpa with special guests from Brazil, Kyle Roussel, Lady & Men Rollers and Scene Boosters Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, High Steppers Brass Band, New Orleans Gospel Soul Children, Leroy Thomas & the Zydeco Roadrunners, Tommy Sancton's New Orleans Legacy Band, The Raymond A. Myles Singers, David & Roselyn, The 4x4 Connection Band, Betty Winn & One A-Chord, Chris Clifton & his Allstars, Zulu Gospel Male Ensemble, Ottertrail Native American Dance Troupe, Donald Lewis, Kat Walker Jazz Combo, New Orleans Youth Buck Jumpers, 21st Century Brass Band, The Sensational Chosen Voices, Original Four and Original Big Seven Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, East Indian performance by Dancescape Studio, Young Audiences Performing Arts Showcase.

SATURDAY, MAY 2

Elton John, Ed Sheeran, T.I., Jerry Lee Lewis, Aaron Neville, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Taj Mahal Trio, Charles Lloyd Quartet, Kermit Ruffins & the BBQ Swingers, Big Freedia "Queen of Bounce", Marcia Ball, Vintage Trouble, Pastor Marvin Sapp, New Orleans Classic R&B Divas feat. The Dixie Cups, Wanda Rouzan, and Jean Knight, Dee-1, Davell Crawford presents "To Fats with Love", The Terence Blanchard E-Collective, The Soul Rebels, Dr. Michael White's Original Liberty Jazz Band with Thais Clark, Chris Thomas King, Germaine Bazzle, Gregg Stafford & His Young Tuxedo Brass Band, Henry Gray, Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers, Astral Project, Roddie Romero & the Hub City Allstars, Andrew Duhon, Original Pinettes Brass Band, Ruby Wilson's Tribute to Bessie Smith feat. Brian "Breeze" Cayolle, Colin Lake, Mississippi Rail Company, Clive Wilson's New Orleans Serenaders with Butch Thompson, Cardinal Sons, Ed Volker's Trio Mollusc, Khris Royal and Dark Matter, TYSSON, Helen Gillet, The Johnson Extension, Watson Memorial Teaching Ministries Choir, Midnite Disturbers, Cha Wa, The Electrifying Crown Seekers, Javier Gutierrez & Vivaz!, Mariachi Jalisco US, Corey Ledet & his Zydeco Band, Kinfolk Brass Band, Undefeated Divas & Gents and Original Pigeon Town Steppers Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, DUKES of Dixieland, Young Hunters Mardi Gras Indians, Jermaine Landrum & Abundant Praise Revival Choir, Pastor Jai Reed, Woodenhead 40th Anniversary Celebration, Lady Jetsetters Social Aid & Pleasure Club, Bonsoir, Catin, Connie Jones & the Crescent City Jazz Band, Larry Sieberth feat. Mehnaz Hoosein, Archdiocese of New Orleans Gospel Choir, Ottertrail Native American Dance Troupe, The Swing Setters, Stephen Foster's Foster Family Music Program, The Wimberly Family Gospel Singers, Ashé Cultural Arts Center Kuumba Institute, Westbank Steppers, Nine Time Ladies, and Valley of Silent Men Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, The RRAAMS, Puppet Arts Theatre, Crescent City Lights Youth Theater.

SUNDAY, MAY 3

TBA, Steve Winwood, The O'Jays, Kacey Musgraves, Buddy Guy, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, The Meters feat. Art Neville, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter, Jr., and Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste, Spirit of Satch: Dr. John interprets Louis Armstrong, the Radiators, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Kermit Ruffins' Tribute to Louis Armstrong, Buckwheat Zydeco, John Boutté, Tab Benoit, Anders Osborne, Christian McBride Big Band with special guests Dianne Reeves and Jeffrey Osborne, Deacon John, Royal Southern Brotherhood, Walter "Wolfman" Washington & the Roadmasters, George Porter, Jr. & Runnin' Pardners, Pine Leaf Boys: Louisiana Music, Big Chief Bo Dollis & the Wild Magnolias, Glen David Andrews, Ironing Board Sam, Kim Carson & the Real Deal, Jeff Floyd, Jason Marsalis, Treme Brass Band, Feufollet, New Orleans Spiritualettes, Storyville Stompers Brass Band, Original Lady Buckjumpers and Prince of Wales Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, Stooges Brass Band, Brother Tyrone & the Mindbenders, DJ Captain Charles, Courtney Bryan, NOCCA Allstar Alumni Jazz Jam, Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band, Don Vappie & the Creole Jazz Serenaders, Palmetto Bug Stompers, Major Handy & the Louisiana Blues Band, Big Chief Juan & Jockimo's Groove, St. Joseph the Worker Music Ministry, Fredy Omar con su Banda, Guitar Slim Jr., Tribute to Alvin Batiste feat. Gregory Agid and Khari Allen, The Mulligan Brothers, Little Maker, Bobby Lounge, Topsy Chapman & Solid Harmony, Brandon Moreau and Cajungrass, Big Chief Kevin Goodman & the Flaming Arrows Mardi Gras Indians, John Lawrence & Ven Pa' Ca Flamenco Ensemble, Cynthia Girtley "New Orleans Gospel Diva", The City of Love Music & Worship Arts, Young Fellaz Brass Band, Johnette Downing and Scott Billington, Culu Children's Traditional African Dance Company & stilt walkers, Baby Boyz Brass Band, Craig Adams & Higher Dimensions of Praise, Norbert Susemihl's New Orleans Allstars feat. Wanda Rouzan, Ottertrail Native American Dance Troupe, McTeggart Irish Dancers of Louisiana, Val & Love Alive Mass Choir, E'Dana, Versailles Lion Dance Team, Ole & Nu Style Fellas, New Generation, and Original C.T.C. Steppers Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, Javier's Dance Company presents Across the Border, Chosen Vessels Dance and Performing Arts, Hobgoblin Hill Puppets.


http://www.nola.com/jazzfest/index.ssf/2015/01/new_orleans_jazz_fest_2015_lin.ht...

erikjjf wrote on Jan 12^th, 2015 at 1:50pm:




Yeah, I was wondering if there was a band with that name.

You never know these days. 

http://www.nojazzfest.com/home/

Springsteen was there last year and three years ago. Doubt it'll be him again.

I hope it ain't the Stones because Jazz Fest really isn't suited for huge draws.
Had a miserable time three years ago just trying to get a glimpse of Springsteen.
My days of camping out all day for a decent eyeshot of the stage are over.

"TBA" for the Sunday headliner sounds intriguing

Either way, that looks like a fantastic festival.

I can only wish..

Van Halen??

Some Guy wrote on Jan 13^th, 2015 at 10:39am:

Some Guy wrote on Jan 13^th, 2015 at 6:32am:



Some Guy ?


THE METERS, Sunday, May 3

Some Guy wrote on Jan 13^th, 2015 at 12:17pm:

I was at this show. They had a ton special guests. Including Perry Farrel doing Miss You.

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jan 16^th, 2015 at 9:23pm:


thanks tater- How was Dave? did you sing along to Panama?

The 2015 New Orleans Jazz Fest's 'mystery act' is....probably not who you think




Elton John, seen here performing at the Smoothie King Center on March 21, 2014, is coming back for the 2015 New Orleans Jazz Fest. (Photo by Chris Granger, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)



Keith Spera, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on January 21, 2015



How frenzied is the speculation about the unannounced "mystery artist" on the final Sunday of the 2015 New Orleans Jazz Fest? Haydel's Furniture & Appliances in Norco is offering a $500 shopping spree via Facebook to the first person to correctly guess the identity of this supposedly "superstar"artist.

OK, everybody. Time to step back, take a deep breath, relax and get reacquainted with reality.

Occasionally, the initial unveiling of a Jazz Fest schedule has contained a TBA or two. But in all my years of covering the festival, I can't recall such rampant - and unrealistic - speculation as this year's.

Much of it stems from a misinterpretation of a comment made by Quint Davis, Jazz Fest's longtime producer/director, shortly after the 2015 roster's release on Jan. 12. Speaking to a local media outlet - not this one! - Davis tried to make the point that the TBA on Sunday, May 3, would be the "biggest" act on that day's schedule.

But his quote was misconstrued. Various media outlets breathlessly reported that this yet-to-be-named act would be the "biggest" of the entire festival. Bigger than Elton John! Bigger than The Who!

Which simply isn't the case. However you calculate a pop act's prominence - ticket sales, number of hit songs, lasting cultural impact, celebrity, etc. - Saturday Acura Stage headliners Elton John and the Who are, and will remain, the "biggest" acts on this year's schedule. Jimmy Buffett, Keith Urban, No Doubt and Tony Bennett with Lady Gaga aren't too shabby either.

Whoever fills the final slot on May 3 will not be "bigger" than these guys. Comparable, maybe. But with all due respect, not bigger.

Davis, understandably, is frustrated that the conversation about the 2015 Jazz Fest has largely focused on pipe-dream acts who won't be there, rather than on the impressive array of artists who will be.

As the popular imagination conjures ever-more outlandish possibilities - U2! The Rolling Stones! Led Zeppelin! Pink Floyd! Paul McCartney! Garth Brooks! - the stage is inevitably set for folks to disappointed by the real artist, however impressive he, she or it may be.

I don't know who it will be. But I do know who it won't be. It WON'T be U2. Or the Rolling Stones. Or Led Zeppelin. Or Pink Floyd. Or Paul McCartney. Or Garth Brooks. Or the Grateful Dead. Or AC/DC.

Scratch all those off your wish list.

It will be a prominent artist, one that is, in the grand scheme of popular music, more prominent than Steve Winwood, the second-billed act on May 3. If tradition holds, this final artist will be the second-to-last act on the Acura Stage that Sunday afternoon. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue will likely close the Acura Stage on the final Sunday, as they have for the past two years. The TBA will probably precede Shorty, like Arcade Fire in 2014 and the Black Keys in 2013.

Davis remains tight-lipped about this act's identity. He hinted that it's somebody who will be on the road this spring. The Jazz Fest booking isn't 100 percent confirmed, he said this week, because the artist must still resolve some logistical issues in order to actually make the gig.

As soon as everything is worked out, the festival will gladly announce it and put an end to the wild rumors.

And somebody with realistic expectations will get to go on a shopping spree in Norco.


http://www.nola.com/jazzfest/index.ssf/2015/01/the_2015_new_orleans_jazz_fest.ht...

TONY BENNETT & LADY GAGA, Sunday, April 26

JERRY LEE LEWIS, Saturday, May 2

JIMMY CLIFF, Friday, April 24

SHOVELS & ROPE, Saturday, April 25

BONERAMA, Thursday, April 30

gimmekeef wrote on Apr 14^th, 2015 at 6:23pm:


I hear ya, but they gotta have something for the kids with all that disposable income.

AARON NEVILLE, Saturday, May 2

THE RADIATORS, Sunday, May 3