Iconic funk group The Meters, one of the most influential acts to ever come out of New Orleans, will reunite for a one-night-only concert at the ornate Saenger Theatre during Jazz Fest 2026. The special performance, set to take place on Saturday, May 2nd, will mark the band’s first time performing as The Meters since the 2019 passing of founding singer and keyboardist Art Neville [get tickets].
For this show, Meters co-founders Zigaboo Modeliste (drums), George Porter Jr. (bass), and Leo Nocentelli (guitar) will reunite under the Meters banner for the first time since 2017. Also joining The Meters at the Saenger are longtime percussionist and vocalist Cyril Neville and keyboardist Ivan Neville (Dumpstaphunk), who will take the place of the late Art Neville, his uncle. The announcement also hints at “very special guests” to be announced.
Formed in 1965, The Meters were a pioneering voice of the funk movement that followed in the next decade-plus, helping introduce a uniquely New Orleans sound to a national audience. Through seminal albums Look-Ka Py Py, Struttin’, Rejuvenation, Fire on the Bayou, and their 1969 self-titled debut, The Meters codified the foundations of funk music.
Beyond the band’s own official output, Art, George, Leo, and Zigaboo served as artists-in-residence at storied songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint’s New Orleans studio, Sansu Enterprises. The Meters’ session résumé during that time includes notable records by Dr. John, Patti Labelle, Lee Dorsey, Robert Palmer, and countless others—in theory, anyway. In most cases, the band was not originally credited on the records despite their integral contributions.
Though they had some modestly charting singles and albums, The Meters never achieved mainstream popularity during their initial run. Nevertheless, the sound they pioneered went on to influence generations of musicians across many genres, from funk to rock to jazz to pop to hip-hop and beyond.
The Meters largely disbanded in the late 1970s but went on to stage various reunions over the years, often under altered monikers including The Funky Meters, The Meter Men, and The Original Meters. Last year, George and Leo reunited for a set at Daze Between New Orleans during the “days between” Jazz Fest weekends. The band featured Stanton Moore (Galactic) on drums and Ivan Neville on keys.
“I think if we’d have knew then what we kind of know now, we rethink going our separate ways,” Porter told Live For Live Music in 2020. “I always said that if the Meters had a clue of the longevity of the music, that they probably would’ve reconsidered breaking up.”
The Meters – The Saenger Theatre – Full 1980 Concert
A pre-sale for tickets to The Meters’ reunion at New Orleans’ Saenger Theatre on Saturday, May 2nd, will begin Thursday, January 15th at 10 a.m. CT here, accessible with code INTRO (for the Live Nation pre-sale) and THEMETERS (for the venue pre-sale). Tickets will go on sale to the general public Friday, January 16th at 10 a.m. CT here.
The Meters at The Saenger is the latest announcement from Live For Live Music‘s Fest by Nite series of late-night shows in New Orleans during Jazz Fest 2026. Other previously announced shows include two nights of STS9 at The Joy Theater on Thursday, April 23rd and Friday, April 24th (weekend one) and Dogs In A Pile at the Toulouse Theatre on Tuesday, April 28th, during the days between Jazz Fest weekends. Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming weeks, and click here for a full rundown of events with ticketing links.
Dig into more of The Meters’ history here and get the story from George Porter Jr. here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source liveforlivemusic.com ’
