Article Contributed by Andy Gordon
Published on 2026-05-05
Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks | NOLA | Photos by Andy J. Gordon
Every year, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival draws massive crowds to the unique city on the Mississippi River. The 2026 festival drew 475,000 people to the Fair Grounds Race Course and lived up to expectations, with more than 600 bands appearing on the Festival’s 14 stages over two extended weekends (April 23–26; April 30–May 3). For newcomers, the name of the festival is misleading, as jazz is just one component of the special event, which also includes fabulous musicians from the worlds of blues, gospel, rock, R&B, soul, reggae, Cajun and zydeco, brass band, and Mardi Gras Indian music.
Veteran Jazz Fest attendees know they will have a multitude of choices each day. The festival runs from 11am to 7pm over the eight days with no repeat performances. Figuring out what to see on the various stages is a complex challenge with no right or wrong choices. Jazz Festers make their selections, go to stages, and often get sidetracked by the mesmerizing sounds coming from a stage they did not consider. This year’s festival also had a Cultural Exchange Pavilion featuring Jamaica. The Pavilion, stages, and booths around the grounds celebrated the island’s music, food, and culture, with a special focus on recovery following 2025’s Hurricane Melissa.
Grateful Web’s coverage spanned a range of music from all genres. Seeing amazing performances each day was a gift, while the disappointment of missing other great acts was the reality of a multi-stage festival. Here are some highlights from the two weekends:
Thursday, April 23
Erik Alejandro Iglesias Rodríguez is known worldwide as Cimafunk. The dynamic singer led his self-titled band at the Congo Square stage. The band stormed through songs that incorporated a blend of funk and hip-hop with Cuban and Afro-Caribbean music. The lead singer has a high-energy stage presence, and the band includes great female horn players who were featured during the set. A James Brown cover mash-up that transitioned to a Spanish-language, high-tempo song had the crowd going wild.
Stephen Marley headlined the Congo Square stage. His big grin, swaying dreadlocks, and smooth, strong vocals had the audience captivated. His band sounded great, pumping out hypnotic rhythms and grooving vibes. Marley played a few of his older songs like “Break Us Apart,” plus songs from Old Soul and a few Bob Marley & the Wailers covers, including “Iron Lion Zion,” “Jammin’,” and “Get Up, Stand Up.”
Kings of Leon closed the biggest stage, Festival, for an excited, jam-packed crowd. The band played a comprehensive sampling of their catalog, including “Use Somebody,” “Waste a Moment,” and “Pyro.” Caleb Followill’s voice was solid and zealous, while cousin Matthew blasted several impressive guitar solos. The band finished with an impressive take on their biggest hit, “Sex on Fire.”
Friday, April 24
Protoje is part of the new school of reggae artists from Jamaica that performed at the 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. He released his eighth studio album, The Art of Acceptance, one week before he hit the Congo Square stage. The crowd got to hear some of the new material like “Feel It,” while also enjoying his 2012 cover of Ini Kamoze’s “England Be Nice,” called “Kingston Be Wise.” Protoje got big applause during “Rasta Love” and closed the show with arguably his most popular song, “Who Knows,” which featured another new-school innovator, Chronixx.
Ani DiFranco has made a number of appearances at Jazz Fest, and this year she played at the Fais Do-Do stage. The now-local New Orleanian via Buffalo, NY, lives in the Bywater, a neighborhood east of the Fair Grounds. Her alternative guitar tuning produced a percussion-like effect. That distinct style and her interesting approach drew a sizable crowd. Sadly, there were sound issues that plagued her set, with her vocals frequently drowned out by the bass in the mix. Once resolved, her voice and strong band accompaniment kept the audience enthralled.
Jon Batiste headlined the first Friday on the Festival stage with several guests, including the Blind Boys of Alabama, Flagboy Giz, La Reezy, and Brandon “Taz” Niederauer. Batiste is seemingly employing most of the musicians in town—his huge band onstage included a choir, dancers, multiple instrumentalists, and Batiste leading the way. He showed his amazing stage presence and versatility, playing guitar, piano, and melodica while singing passionately, often while frolicking around the stage. Highlights included songs like “Freedom,” “I Need You,” and “Big Money.” The band finished the show by going into the crowd, led by Batiste, with band members and Mardi Gras Indians doing a second-line style march while playing “When The Saints Come Marching In.”
Saturday, April 25
Samantha Fish has been burning up stages for the past few years. Her sound has evolved from traditional blues to more rock with blues influences. Her set on the Festival stage showcased her big voice and expert guitar skills. Throughout her set, she swapped between various electric guitars on songs like “I’m Done Running,” “Gone For Good,” and “Lose You.” She broke out her cigar-box four-string for some impressive slide work on “Bulletproof.”
81-year-old Winston Rodney, better known by his stage name Burning Spear, led his band through a chill-vibe set on the Congo Square stage with a few of his standards, including “Slavery Days,” “Jah No Dead,” and “Rocking Time.”
Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers drew a large, raucous crowd to close the Fais Do-Do stage on the first Saturday. Hornsby has led a storied career with solo success, memorable time spent with The Grateful Dead, and a variety of other collaborations. At his Jazz Fest set, the legendary keyboardist brought out Mark Mullins (trumpet) and Matt Perrine (sousaphone) from Bonerama and The New Orleans Nightcrawlers. The guests helped out on Hornsby’s collaboration with the late Bobby Weir, “Might As Well Be Me, Florinda.” Later in the set, Branford Marsalis, who frequently sat in with the Dead, joined the band for “The End of the Innocence,” “Prairie Dog Town,” and “Way It Is.” The “Way It Is” finale also included Mullins and Perrine.
Sunday, April 26
Leftover Salmon made their first Jazz Fest appearance, competing with Rod Stewart, David Byrne, The Isley Brothers, and another Jon Batiste set during the closing acts of the first weekend. The crowd at the Fais Do-Do stage was not huge, but they made up for it with exuberant dancing, cheering, and energy. Guitarist Vince Herman told them, “We love this festival and are honored to finally play this stage where so many great Cajun, zydeco and bluegrass bands have performed.” The band was fired up and delivered an amazing set of music.
The Isley Brothers’ set at the Congo Square stage was a classic soul party. Ronald Isley told the audience, “I’ve got about 200 songs to sing for you today,” and although the band fell short of that mark, they did pump out about a dozen classics that included “Between The Sheets,” “Footsteps In The Dark,” “Atlantis,” and Frankie Beverly’s “Joy And Pain.” Ernie Isley’s guitar tone was extraordinary, and brother Ronald still has his golden voice. The crowd went wild for the closing classics “Twist and Shout” and James Brown’s “Funky Good Time.”
David Byrne has never lost his creativeness. From Broadway musicals to film work to inventive concert productions, the Talking Heads founder keeps audiences entertained and guessing what he will come up with next. His current tour in theaters includes all-encompassing video, light, and multimedia elements that could not be reproduced during the daytime outdoor Jazz Fest. That did not detract from his Gentilly stage performance, as Byrne led his free-flowing band—everyone on stage had wireless, portable instruments—through a tightly choreographed dancing, marching, playing, and singing set of mostly Talking Heads classics, with some newer material thrown into the mix. Byrne is singing as well as ever, and his topical stories interspersed with the music were highly enjoyable. A sit-in by St. Vincent, who had a set before Byrne and had him sit in during her show, brought added luster to The Talking Heads’ “Air.”
Rod Stewart is a seemingly ageless legend who put on a remarkable closing set at the Festival Stage. The big production, with flapper-costumed dancers, wardrobe changes, a big band, and a mix of his most popular hits, was reminiscent of his longtime Las Vegas residency. All the bells and whistles would be pointless if the music did not hold up. Stewart can still belt out the hits that his fans expect, and his band is filled with excellent musicians. They ran through his historic catalog, including “Maggie May,” “Infatuation,” “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?,” “Forever Young,” and several covers like Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind” and Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready.”
Thursday, April 30
The second weekend of the festival opened with the dreaded thunderstorms that New Orleans gets hit with every spring. The Thursday schedule was compressed to try to squeeze in the headliners before lightning forced the organizers to clear the Fair Grounds. Several performances were cut, others shortened, and the big acts moved up to earlier start times.
Lettuce has been playing late-night club shows during Jazz Fest for several years, but they had never actually performed at the festival. This year, they got a plum slot just before Widespread Panic on the main Festival stage. Their set got moved up, and it was a steady downpour while they were playing. The sparse but enthusiastic crowd enjoyed a mostly instrumental, groove-heavy show. “Phyllis” and “Lettsanity” had the faithful dancing in the rain. Nigel Hall also delivered a very soulful vocal performance on “Do It Like You Do.”
As the rain got heavier and the threat of cancellation loomed, Widespread Panic hit the main stage at 2 p.m. instead of 4:30 for what was supposed to be a 2.5-hour set. The six-piece band out of Athens, Georgia, has been a mainstay at Jazz Fest for years and always gets the longest set times of any performers. The band played with a sense of urgency and filled their show with standards like “Ain’t Life Grand,” “Greta,” and “Fishwater.” They also had sit-ins by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s Roger Lewis and Gregory Davis and New Orleans Suspects keyboardist CR Gruver. In addition to covers of J.J. Cale’s “Travelin’ Light” and James Taylor’s “Knockin’ Round the Zoo,” the band honored the late Col. Bruce Hampton on his birthday with a rousing version of Skip James’ “I’m So Glad.” The dangerous weather forced the band to shut things down at about 4 p.m. as the entire Fair Grounds were cleared of attendees as a safety precaution.
Friday, May 1
The torrential rain kept coming on Friday, and the festival organizers announced the Fair Grounds would be closing at 4 p.m. to clear everyone out before the projected lightning. They reconfigured the lineups with some cancellations and shortened or earlier-than-originally-scheduled sets.
The Black Keys’ headline set was moved up, and they played in front of a fairly large, thoroughly soaked crowd at the Gentilly stage. The band sounded great during “Heavy Soul” and “Gold on the Ceiling.” Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney also threw in excellent versions of classic blues covers like Big Joe Williams’ “Crawling King Snake” and R.L. Burnside’s “Poor Black Mattie.”
Tab Benoit closed the Blues Tent with his authentic swamp-blues trio. The overstuffed crowd got shelter from the downpour and enjoyed the Houma, Louisiana, native’s sweet vocals and rapid-fire guitar playing. Benoit has been a mainstay at the fest for decades and never disappoints. He joked that “this is what a guitar sounds like when you just plug it in.” His Fender Telecaster may look old and beat up, but in Benoit’s hands, it delivered magical music.
Back out in the storm, Ziggy Marley’s Congo Square set was delayed as stagehands swept away puddles and moved microphone stands back from the onslaught. Marley had just released his ninth album, Brightside, and his band eventually came out to play some of the new songs and a few classics for a diehard audience. The oldest son of the legendary Bob Marley has made his own mark on the reggae scene, but he always pays tribute to his father and the roots of his music. The crowd seemed to enjoy a few of the new songs, including “Make It Paradise,” “Brightside,” and “JAH We Give Glory.” Of course, the Wailers standards like “Get Up Stand Up” got the biggest applause.
Saturday, May 2
After two straight days of constant rain, it was a relief to get sunny skies and relatively mild temperatures. The Fair Grounds were packed on Saturday, and the organizers sent a push notification that the day was sold out, something they had never done before in the 55-year history of the festival, except when the special Rolling Stones day had a cap on ticket sales during the 2024 Jazz Fest.
Anders Osborne had an afternoon set on the Festival stage, and ALO’s Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz joined him as a second guitarist. The band also included local saxophone player Brad Walker, from Sturgill Simpson’s band among several others, for the whole show. Osborne played an intense, distortion-heavy set of blues-based rock songs, including “Coming Down” and “On the Road to Charlie Parker.” Walker blasted out creative solos, and Lebo switched between his usual amplified acoustic guitar and solos on a pedal steel guitar.
Little Feat closed out the Blues Tent. The band is on their “Last Farewell Tour,” and longtime members Bill Payne and Fred Tackett are playing like they could go on for several more years. Scott Sharrard traded solos with Tackett, and the band brought their classic rock sound with great harmonies on songs including “Oh Atlanta” and “Time Loves a Hero.” The fans were dancing in the aisles as they finished up the show with fine versions of “Spanish Moon,” “Fat Man in the Bathtub,” and “Dixie Chicken.”
The biggest draw of the day and weekend was The Eagles, who closed the Festival stage. They are on “The Long Goodbye” farewell tour, and this one may stick, so fans flocked to the biggest stage to bid them farewell. The show was mostly a greatest-hits medley with a few selections from the members’ solo careers. Joe Walsh and his screaming guitar solos got special attention for “Life’s Been Good,” “Funk #49,” and “Rocky Mountain Way.” Don Henley was showcased on “The Boys of Summer.” For Eagles hits like “Take It Easy,” “Witchy Woman,” “Tequila Sunrise,” and “Life in the Fast Lane,” the band could have stopped singing and let the audience take over. “Hotel California” and “Heartache Tonight” were also big singalongs that closed the show, although it was unexpectedly early. The band announced later that their piano player had a “medical episode” and had to leave the stage, so they stopped the show without playing their usual closer, “Desperado.”
Sunday, May 3
George Porter Jr. is the legendary bassist from The Meters and has been keeping the funk alive with his current band, the Runnin’ Pardners. Their set on the Gentilly stage featured Porter’s growling vocals and chest-thumping bass lines. The band mixed Meters classics like “Good Old Funky Music” with newer tracks including “Wanna Get Funky,” “Happy Song,” and “I Get High.” After an extended version of “Police State,” Porter called out injustice and demanded social change. The band finished with a mash-up of Jessie Hill’s “Ooh Poo Pah Doo” and Huey “Piano” Smith’s “Don’t You Just Know It.”
Galactic is another New Orleans band that makes the most of the musical gumbo in the city. They played an afternoon set on the Festival stage filled with funk, soul, brass, rock, and hip-hop. Their high energy and super-tight instrumentals were complemented by an explosive performance by current vocalist Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph. They also had a fiery vocal sit-in by Glen David Andrews, who worked the crowd to perfection.
Back at the Gentilly stage, the mostly retired but never forgotten Radiators showed the crowd why they will get a plum slot at Jazz Fest for as long as they want it. Guitarists Camile Baudoin and Dave Malone traded solos while organist Ed Volker belted out several of their classics, including “River Run.” The band also did a scintillating medley of “Pass the Hatchet/Living in the USA/Coldest Stuff In Town/Fire.”
The last sets on the last day of Jazz Fest are always blockbusters. It is a great joy and a heartbreaking decision process to decide who to see. This Sunday, the final stage lineups included Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, who have been closing the main stage for about 15 years; Earth Wind & Fire at Congo Square; Herbie Hancock in the Jazz Tent; Mavis Staples in the Blues Tent; Steve Earle with Anders Osborne at Fais Do-Do; and Kermit Ruffins doing a Louis Armstrong tribute in the Economy Hall Tent.
All were excellent choices, but the headliner that stood out was Tedeschi Trucks Band at the Gentilly stage. By themselves, they are an amazing, formidable 12-piece blend of brilliant soul, blues, and rock led by Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. On this day, the promise of something special was in the air and rumor mill. The band is on their Future Soul Tour, and longtime friend, collaborator, and former Allman Brothers bandmate to Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, was in town having completed two special nighttime club shows. So, the promise of an Allman Brothers reunion was too good to pass up.
The band opened their set with the usual lineup and a selection of choice songs from their new album, deeper cuts from their catalog, plus significant covers. They kicked things off with the prophetic blues standard “Let the Good Times Roll.” Future Soul songs “Crazy Cryin’” and “Who Am I” contained the dependably brilliant vocals from Tedeschi and mesmerizing solos from Trucks. “Get What You Deserved” preceded their first unannounced guest arrival.
Teddy Swims had finished his set at the Festival stage earlier in the afternoon. He came out to accompany the band for a tribute to the recently departed Dave Mason, who penned the Traffic original Joe Cocker perfected, “Feelin’ Alright?” Tedeschi Trucks Band and Swims covered the track during the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, where they were honoring inductee Cocker. Once Swims left the stage, the band launched into Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s still-emotional “Ohio.” They also did powerful versions of “Let Me Get By” and “Just Won’t Burn” before bringing out George Porter Jr. to play double bass with Brandon Boone on the Sly & the Family Stone medley “You Can Make It If You Try” > “Everyday People.”
Tedeschi Trucks Band followed up with Susan Tedeschi and Mike Mattison’s vocal mastery on “Bound for Glory” before the special final segment of their festival show. Not only did Susan call out Warren Haynes from the wings, but she also introduced Jaimoe and Marc Quinones. Jaimoe was an original drummer with The Allman Brothers Band, and Quinones was their longtime percussionist. The celebrated guests and core Tedeschi Trucks Band members combined to perform incredible versions of the Allman Brothers Band originals “Dreams” and “Whipping Post,” with Haynes on lead vocals and vocal support from Tedeschi. There is a special musical magic that happens when Haynes and Trucks play together, and that mojo, along with the extraordinary talents of the TTB band plus the ABB percussion guests, made the last half hour of Jazz Fest a mystical, memorable moment.
The 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was an overwhelming buffet of musical delight. There may have been the usual weather hiccups and a few blisters from miles logged, but the journey was worth it and then some. Next year’s edition is scheduled for April 22–25 and April 29–May 2, 2027. The organizers always book world-class talent, and we expect 2027 to be another amazing music festival that should not be missed.
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