Jazzfest to Return in New Orleans With the Who, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters Among Headliners

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is counting on 2022 being the charm, after the annual event was repeatedly postponed and finally canceled in 2020 and 2021. The festival popularly known as Jazzfest announced its return Thursday, with headliners including the Who, Stevie Nicks and Foo Fighters set to take the city’s stages across two weekends, April 29 through May 8.

Among the dozens of other artists set for the fest, encompassing rock, R&B, roots music, country and, of course, the native sounds of Louisiana: Jimmy Buffett, Luke Combs, Willie Nelson, Lionel Richie, Erykah Badu, the Black Crowes, Lauren Daigle, the Avett Brothers, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Randy Newman, Norah Jones, Ludacris, Billy Strings, Trombone Shorty, Death Cab for Cutie, Melissa Etheridge, Buddy Guy, Irma Thomas, Arturo Sandoval, the Revivalists, Nelly, Tank and the Bangas and Terence Blanchard.

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Many of those artists are returning from the lineups promised for 2020-21. But some prominent names who’d previously been on deck are not making the 2022 bill, notably the Rolling Stones, Demi Lovato, Lizzo, and Dead and Company.

For 2021, the festival had been tentatively set for its usual spring dates in April, but in January, amid the pandemic, the decision was made to push things back to October, before the festival was canceled altogether for the year in August. While some other festivals did proceed as scheduled last summer and fall, the pandemic was being felt particularly hard in New Orleans, forcing the cancellation.

Passes are good only for either of the weekends, with three-day passes for the initial three-day (April 29-May 1) starting at $210 and for the subsequent four-day weekend (May 5-8) beginning at $260. VIP experiences for either weekend start at $1600-1700. “Grand Marshal” VIP with standing room access at the front of the stages is $1500-1600.

Those packages are already on sale at nojazzfest.com, with single-day tickets set to become available at a later date.

“Ticket holders who rolled their 2020 and 2021 tickets over will receive an email from the ticketing company with instructions on how to exchange their tickets for the weekend of their choosing,” AEG Presents says.

The complete lineup: The Who, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Buffett and The Coral Reefer Band, Luke Combs, Lionel Richie, The Black Crowes, Willie Nelson & Family, Erykah Badu, The Avett Brothers, Norah Jones, Lauren Daigle, Ludacris, Billy Strings, Nelly, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Death Cab for Cutie, Ziggy Marley: Songs of Bob Marley, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, The Revivalists, Lukas Nelson & POTR, Randy Newman, Melissa Etheridge, Boz Scaggs, Kool & the Gang, Third World, CeeLo Green As…”Soul Brotha #100” (A James Brown Tribute), Irma Thomas, Big Freedia, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Tank and The Bangas, PJ Morton, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Buddy Guy, José Feliciano, Chris Isaak, Rickie Lee Jones, Ricky Skaggs, Asleep at the Wheel, David Sanborn, Playing for Change Band, Bettye LaVette, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Samantha Fish, Cyril Neville, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, The Radiators, Galactic featuring Anjelika ‘Jelly’ Joseph, Kermit Ruffins and The BBQ Swingers, Shovels & Rope, Rory Block, George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, Tribute to Art and Charles Neville with the funky Meters and Ivan Neville & The Neville Brothers Band featuring Cyril Neville, Terence Blanchard featuring The E-Collective & Turtle Island Quartet, Leo Nocentelli: Another Side, Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes, Tribute to Dr. John, The War And Treaty, The Soul Rebels, Doug Kershaw, The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & The Golden Eagles, Rebirth Brass Band, Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Martha Redbone Roots Project, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s Tribute to Dave Bartholomew, Leyla McCalla, Boyfriend, Walter Wolfman Washington & the Roadmasters, Hurray for Riff Raff, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas, Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers, Mia X, Cimafunk (of Cuba), Nicholas Payton, Bombino (of Niger), The Campbell Brothers, The Newport All-Stars Celebrate George Wein, Arturo Sandoval, Seratones, Ranky Tanky, Hot 8 Brass Band, John Boutté, Dottie Peoples, Las Cafeteras, Lost Bayou Ramblers, The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra’s Tribute to Allen Toussaint, Cha Wa, Chris Thomas King, New Orleans Nightcrawlers, Lena Prima, Royal Teeth, Ronnie LaMarque, Sweet Crude, David Shaw, Original Pinettes Brass Band, Kenny Neal, Lakou Mizik (of Haiti,) Tuba Skinny, Tribute to Bessie Smith, Jimmy Hall, Northside Skull & Bone Gang, Kathy Taylor, Tribute to Lil Buck Sinegal, Le’Andria Johnson, Kurt Carr & The Kurt Carr Singers, Dr. Michael White & the Original Liberty Jazz Band with Thais Clark and Maynard Chatters, Original New Orleans Lady Buckjumpers SA&PC, Trumpet Mafia, Charlie Gabriel and Friends, William Prince, Antonio Sanchez and Bad Hombre, Don Vappie & the Creole Jazz Serenaders, Wendell Brunious All Stars, Dumaine Street Gang and Family Ties SA&PCs, 79rs Gang Music Group, Sisters of Unity and Devastation SA&PCs, Wild Red Flame and Mohawk Hunters Mardi Gras Indians.

Beyond that, “hundreds more artists (are) scheduled to appear,” AEG Presents promises.

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