Iconic New Orleans funk band The Meters’ May 2 reunion at the Saenger Theatre sold out the same day tickets went on sale, but the band has now announced a second reunion show during the 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
That’s not surprising.
What is surprising is how one member of The Meters found out about the new date — during an onstage interview aboard the cruise ship Eurodam somewhere between the mouth of the Mississippi River and Cozumel.
On the morning of Jan. 22, I interviewed Meters bassist George Porter Jr. and percussionist/vocalist Cyril Neville during the Big Easy Cruise, an annual, weeklong New Orleans music festival at sea.
At the outset of our conversation in front of a couple hundred fans in the Eurodam’s Rolling Stone Lounge, I congratulated Porter and Neville on how quickly the May 2 show sold out.
Porter then shared something he’d just learned: The Meters would play another show, this one during Jazz Fest’s first weekend.
That was news to Neville. He hadn’t been told about the new concert yet.
He turned to his wife, Gaynielle, who was standing to the side of the stage and asked her if he was even available to play with the Meters on the fest’s first weekend. She assured him he was available.
The Meters’ Leo Nocentelli, left, and George Porter Jr. perform on the Acura Stage during the New Orleans Jazz Fest Sunday, May 3, 2015. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
On the ship, Porter and Neville were still a little fuzzy on the details. But at noon Tuesday, promoters Live Nation and Dayglo made the official announcement: The Meters will perform at the Fillmore in New Orleans on April 24.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.
These will be the Meters’ first performances since the death of founding keyboardist Art Neville in 2019.
The current incarnation of The Meters includes Porter, original drummer Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste and original guitarist Leo Nocentelli, plus Cyril Neville, who officially joined the band ahead of the classic 1975 album “Fire On the Bayou.” Ivan Neville will fill in for his uncle Art on keyboards and vocals.
Ivan will do double duty on April 24. His band Dumpstaphunk — which includes Art’s son Ian Neville on guitar — will open for the Meters at the Saenger.
Sailing with musicians
Producers of the Big Easy Cruise hire me to interview musicians as we sail. In addition to Porter and Neville, this year I chatted with Samantha Fish, Marc Broussard, Preservation Hall’s Ben Jaffe, members of Cowboy Mouth and Little Feat, and a southwest Louisiana all-star trio consisting of Chubby Carrier, Wayne Toups and BeauSoleil frontman Michael Doucet.
I also hosted the “Pianorama” concert featuring Jon Cleary, John “Papa” Gros, Oscar Rossignoli and Kyle Roussel. They performed individually then collectively in a four-keyboard finale.
That was the “work” part of the trip.
Guitarist Leo Nocentelli, left, and singer Cyril Neville of The Meters perform on the Acura Stage during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Sunday, May 3, 2015, at the New Orleans Fair Grounds Race Course.
I also enjoyed onboard performances and/or conversations with John Boutte, Helen Gillet, Anders Osborne, the all-female Shake ‘Em Up Jazz Band, southern rock sister act Larkin Poe — one of a handful of non-Louisiana artists on the bill — the Honey Island Swamp Band, Susan Cowsill, the Tin Men, Omari Neville & the Fuel, the Pine Leaf Boys, the Soul Rebels, Johnny Sansone and burlesque dancer Trixie Minx.
As on previous Big Easy Cruises, it was fun to be sequestered at sea with a segment of the New Orleans music community and a couple thousand fans. The shared experience only enhanced what is already a tight-knit, collaborative community of musicians.
When Anders Osborne’s voice gave out on the second-to-last night, Samantha Fish, Johnny Sansone and the Honey Island Swamp Band’s Aaron Wilkinson stepped in to cover the vocals for him. Osborne returned the favor by sitting in on guitar during Fish’s closing-night set.
There were many other sit-ins throughout the week, and not just during the late-night jams hosted by the Tin Men’s Alex McMurray. During John “Papa” Gros’ tribute to Dr. John, longtime Dr. John guitarist John Fohl and Porter — who, with his fellow Meters, backed Dr. John on several classic recordings — joined in.
Secrets revealed
During my interview with Fish, she said she plans to attend this Sunday’s Grammy Awards in Los Angeles; her 2025 release “Paper Doll” is nominated for best contemporary blues album. In response to a fan’s question, she also revealed that she has a live album in the works.
But nobody else surprised a bandmate quite like Porter did with Cyril Neville.
Porter went on to say he hopes The Meters showcase songs they rarely, if ever, performed throughout the band’s nearly 60-year history.
That complicated history is full of twists and turns, highs and lows. Getting the principal members of the band together is no easy task. Business-wise, they are not a single, cohesive unit — each musician was apparently contracted individually for the upcoming concerts.
But as evidenced by the Saenger show selling out the same day tickets went on sale, love for Meters music remains strong.
And as Porter let slip aboard the Big Easy Cruise, fans now have a second chance to hear that music come alive again during Jazz Fest.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nola.com ’
