2024 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
Second weekend
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
New Orleans, LA, USA
May 2-5, 2024
by Mary Aandrews
The performance of the Rolling Stones may well be the reason that attendance records almost topped one half a million people this year. The first weekend had a respectable attendance, but Thursday of the second weekend smashed all records with the second highest attendance in jazz festival history. Festival producer, Quint Davis, remarked, “Watching the Rolling Stones perform with New Orleans and Louisiana stars Irma Thomas and Dwayne Dopsie was to witness the power of the festival to demonstrate the connection of our culture to the greatest music of our time.”
There had been two other attempts to bring the Stones to New Orleans Jazz Festival in the past, but due to health and personal issues it had not come to pass. Jagger needed heart surgery and an entire leg of that tour was postponed. Their appearance was rescheduled for 2020, only to have that cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thursday was atypical from the standpoint that the other 13 stages closed out when the Rolling Stones took the stage at five pm. The Stones concert was simulcasted on the screens at the other larger stages during the concert. The band delivered an 18-song set that included the Stones first performance of “Time is on my Side” with Irma Thomas. Thomas had the first hit with the song in 1964.
There was a large runway that reached into the crowd that Mick Jagger used frequently with vigor throughout the set. Jagger at age 80 exhibits as much energy and athleticism as any lead singer much younger. Jagger began the set wearing a glittery turquoise jacket with a red tuxedo shirt underneath, but the jacket didn’t survive past the second song, “Get Off of My Cloud.” The weather was warm and muggy. Jagger soon stripped down to a long-sleeved black t-shirt, guitarist Ronnie Wood abandoned a layer of sparkles, and drummer Steve Jordan had to give up on his elegant suit jacket.
Keith Richards’ solo spot went to “Little T&A” from 1981’s “Tattoo You,” in a version that included the NOLA horn section. Richards was one of the few musicians onstage who remained in his full regalia of long-sleeve satin shirt (in various colors) as well as a red knit beanie all night. Richards was grinning ear to ear all afternoon long.
“Honky Tonk Women” and “Paint It Black” felt fresh and vibrant, and Richards was dominant during “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” He always seems to find a new way to hit those unmistakable chords. It was a moment where you realize you are hearing the writer of the song that you have heard hundreds, even thousands of times, play the chords live. The show ended with “Satisfaction,” which generated excitement both onstage and in the audience. The band returned to the stage for a two-song encore of “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” and “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” The set was well worth the time and effort to experience the legendary band and the third time was a charm.
One of the biggest challenges when you attend the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is picking and choosing the artists to attend. It’s a difficult task when there are some 500 acts over two weekends. Many folks go and just follow their nose or ears. Personally, this reviewer studies the announced lineup well ahead of the festival and creates a list of no miss performers. Sometimes that works, other times not so much.
Blues rocker, Samantha Fish, performed on the same stage as the Rolling Stones earlier in the day on Thursday. She stepped out on stage dressed in a black leather-like suit ready to strutt her stuff. Fish was well aware that she was ‘opening’ for the Rolling Stones and seemed nervous. “Bulletproof” and “Better Be Lonely” were standout songs. It’s always a delight to see Fish perform. Fish was seen in the crowd after her set to personally experience the Stones’ set.
Dumpstaphunk played a set of NOLA funk on the Festival Stage ahead of The Stones and paid tribute to late bassist Nick Daniels, who died on Saturday. New Breed Brass Band with Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews also played a great Festival Stage show.
Other second weekend highlights included sets of Foo Fighters, Hozier, Allison Russell, Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, and Queen Latiifah to name a few.
Foo Fighters was another rock band that had been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 at Jazz Festival. Their two-hour show included hits like “All My Life,” “ MonkeyWrench,” and “The Pretender.” The 30-year old band really knows how to work a crowd and that they did it well. Frontman Dave Grohl was extremely personable and talked a lot about playing New Orleans in the past and having love for the city. They had previously performed at fest in 2015.
Due to the continuous showers on Friday, the early part of the day was spent in the interview portion of Jazz Festival. Christone “ Kingfish’ Ingram gave a very enlightening look at the 25 year old guitar wizard.
He revealed that he had two choices as to what to do with his life, either play football or play the blues. The Mississippi native came to the conclusion that he could only play football for a short period of his life whereas he could play the blues until he died. His choice was a no brainer. And it was a major benefit for the fans.
American jazz singer, Samara Joy, also gave us an indepth look at her introduction to jazz The 24 year old was raised in a musical family from a very early age. Her paternal grandparents, Elder Goldwire and Ruth McLendon, were founders of Philadelphia gospel group The Savettes. She attended Fordham High School for the Arts and performed in its jazz band. Joy enrolled in the jazz program at SUNY’s Purchase College as a voice major and was named an Ella Fitzgerald Scholar. She revealed that a new album is forth-coming. Joy is indeed the future of jazz and a must to experience if she comes your way.
The major highlight on the last Saturday was more living legends including Neil Young and Crazy Horse and Queen Latifah.
Young and Crazy Horse’s set was chrisened as their first tour together since 2019. He told the massive crowd that “I’ve been in a musical desert. I haven’t played in a while and I miss it.”A major highlight of the set was an extended version of “Cortez the Killer.”
They are only a few dates into a tour, and though they’ just released the album, “FU##IN’ UP.” The album features live re-recordings of most of the songs on their landmark 1990 album Ragged Glory, but with new names. The album is named for a song on Ragged Glory, but now it’s called “Heart of Steel.” They played “Cinnamon Girl” and “Everybody Knows this is Nowhere,” from the 1969 album Everybody Knows This is Nowhere. Off the same album, they dug into a an 11-minute version of the fever dream “Down by the River,” with its long instrumental interludes. Much of the crowd joined in for the chorus.
It’s been 35 years since Queen Latifah dropped her first record that crowned her the Queen of hip-hop and her career has been going strong since. She has become a major star of television, movies, and really any medium of entertainment over the years and she maintains that status. Not only did she get her start as a rapper, her singing talent is unparalelled. Her first half of her set included much of her singing. Her duet of “Say So” with PJ Morton, an unfortunately brief snippet of Roy Ayers’ “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” and Aretha Franklin’s “Mercy Me” was exemplary. She also performed an amazing version of “California Dreaming.”
On songs like “Just Another Day,” “Come into My House,” the Living Single theme and her classic “Wrath of My Madness” Queen Latifah’s mic control was in full force. Her flows and breath control remain amazing, despite not performing much as a rapper over the last decades.
MC Lyte and Yo-Yo then appeared on stage to rap Brandy’s “I Want to Be Down” with Latifah before then being given center stage to perform their on bangers: “Cha Cha Cha” for MC Lyte, “You Can’t Play With My Yo-Yo” for Yo-Yo.
Queen Latifah ended the set in a fitting way with her anti-domestic abuse and pro-Black women anthem “U.N.I.T.Y.”
The last day of jazz festival highlights included a Jimmy Buffett tribute featured Irma Thomas having the time of her life singing “I Will Play for Gumbo.” “ It’s a little like religion and a lot like sex, you should never know where you are going to get it next.” Other participants included Sonny Landreth, Trombone Shorty, and some of the Preservation Hall Band. It was a ‘Parrothead’s’ delight.
Each year, there is a responding exclamation that this was the best fest yet! It’s also true this year, but each year has something special to take away for your memory bank. One cannot deny wondering what next year will bring. Jazz fest is like an addiction leaving you wanting more. It is a feast like no other. Here’s a toast to next year and what it will bring.
Rolling Stone Setlist: Start Me Up / Get Off of My Cloud / Out Of Time / Angry / Let It Bleed / Time Is On My Side / Whole Wide World / Tumbling Dice / You Can’t Always Get What You Want / Little T&A / Sympathy For The Devil / Honky Tonk Women / Miss You / Gimme Shelter / Paint It Black / Jumpin’ Jack Flash / encore: Sweet Sounds of Heaven / Satisfaction
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