Yesterday afternoon, the lineup for this year’s 50th annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was revealed, confirming the rumors of headliners The Rolling Stones and announcing an array of local Louisiana acts and national touring artists. Longtime producer Quint Davis spoke with The New Orleans Advocate about the expansive anniversary lineup, including the process of bringing in the Stones and some specific plans for scheduling and artist collaborations throughout the festival’s two weekends.
“The biggest band in the world has accepted playing Jazz Fest on Jazz Fest’s terms, on a stage under a tent (canopy), in the daytime, with no lights,” Davis says of the Stones, noting that their inclusion in this year’s lineup opens the door for more huge acts to play Jazz Fest in the future. “It says something about them, but it also says a lot about the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. I don’t know that we’ll dial up something every year — it took us 50 years to get the Rolling Stones. But it’s an established scenario. We’ll be able to get anybody at this point.”
Davis also says that about 600 of the approximately 688 artists playing Jazz Fest 2019 are from Louisiana, a nod to the festival’s dedication to its roots and celebration of 50 years of the legendary gathering. Several of the bigger non-local artists also have histories with the festival, like Dave Matthews Band, Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison, Jimmy Buffett and Santana.
Davis gets into some of the planned collaborations throughout the festival, including a tribute to Ellis Marsalis by his sons Wynton, Branford and Delfeayo, and a festival-closing set from “Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue with Nevilles.” Davis says that the Nevilles will at least include singer Aaron Neville, who used to close out the festival with The Neville Brothers for years. Orleans Avenue closed out last year’s fest with special guests Cyril and Ivan Neville. Ivan will also be playing with his NOLA-based group Dumpstaphunk on the same day as The Rolling Stones’ headlining slot—which Davis says isn’t a coincidence, as Ivan has played with Stones guitarist Keith Richards in his X-Pensive Winos in the past.
Jazz Fest 2019 is set for April 25–28 and May 2–5. All festival information can be found here.
5 Comments comments associated with this post
Walter Sobchack
January 17, 2019 at 10:35 amYeah that price is too steep for single day tix. I remember when Springsteen played there in 2014 you couldn’t get near the Acura stage but they charged the same as the other days. Keep in mind that there wouldn’t even have been a show on that Thursday had it not been for the Stones and the optics look even greedier.
Personally I’d rather see Anders, Mavis or Nicholas Payton that day Jim
Michael Bruns
January 16, 2019 at 2:06 pmI got a chance as a Brass Pass holder to buy a ticket for the day the Stones are playing for $185 plus Ticketmaster charges. Not going. My feeling about the Stones at Jazzfest is that they should be honored enough to play JF to play for a price that allows Jazzfest to operate on a business as usual basis. I’m more bummed about the fact that I won’t hear Regina Carter, Nicolas Payton, Anders Osborne and the NO Guitar Masters among others than that I won’t hear the Stones. I get that this is a big get for Quint Davis, but I’m not sure how JF benefits unless the Stones are playing for reasonable $ and JF is just using them as a draw to make extra $.
Jim
January 17, 2019 at 7:49 amThe Stones aren’t the only band that day there will be about 50 others. Who plays when is your choice when to go and who to see. Same as always. Anders is playing the day the Stones do, along with Ziggy, Mavis, and Nicholas Payton.
Give us all the deets...
January 16, 2019 at 1:54 pmSo, no mentioned about supply & demand? Stones, jazz fest, in the raw, under a tent…
$1k per ticket??
Don’t mean to poo poo his PR…
Jim
January 17, 2019 at 7:41 amGive us all the deets… Axctually if YOU could have scored a ticket for that day alone it would have been bought yesterday when theyw ere sold. And only to state residents who had to show a state ID in person to get to buy two. The cost was 185 bucks. granted all other days are 85 dollars. But if YOU buy VIP tickets for the whole weekend it is include. remember you get about 50 other bands that day, with music from 11:30 AM to about 7:30 PM with beers way cheaper than any other place the Stones will play and access to GREAT food not just trash like at other concerts. This will be first day Jazz Fest has ever sold out and its been going 50 years. I got my tickets bought yesterday for BOTH weekends, probably my 13th year. BEST SHOW in America. Its the flight down and hotels in Quarter that are so expensive. 13 nights.