Tired yet? The second weekend of the 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is as jam-packed as the first, with music clubs, theaters and other venues across the city beefing up their bookings in hopes of attracting the hordes of music fans in town. Here are highlights of the upcoming week.<\/p>\n
THURSDAY<\/h3>\n
Wilco<\/strong> kicks off the first of two consecutive nights at the Saenger Theatre. Tickets start at $60.<\/p>\n Gov\u2019t Mule guitarist Warren Haynes<\/strong> presides over \u201cWarren Haynes\u00a0\u2014 Dreams & Songs Symphonic Experience\u201d with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra at the Orpheum Theater. Tickets start at $49.<\/p>\n Blues-based guitarist Sue Foley<\/strong> lets rip at the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard in Central City. Tickets start at $36.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Daniel Donato\u2019s \u201cCosmic NOLA\u201d<\/strong> show at the Civic Theatre features George Porter Jr., Kanika Moore<\/strong> and others; tickets start at $45.<\/p>\n Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe<\/strong> and La Lom<\/strong> celebrate the music of reggae legend Jimmy Cliff at the Fillmore. Tickets start at $50.<\/p>\n The band Lettuce<\/strong> hosts its \u201cRage!Fest\u201d at the Joy Theater; tickets start at $58.<\/p>\n The most buzzed-about international act during the 2025 Jazz Fest was Son Rompe Pera<\/strong>, the Mexican cumbia punk band. With their intricate rhythms and intense xylophone solos, the heavily tattooed, sweaty and often shirtless members of the band lived up to the hype. Tipitina\u2019s has brought Son Rompe Pera back to town during this year\u2019s Jazz Fest for a Thursday night show with Los G\u00fciros<\/strong> opening at 9 p.m. Tickets start at $27.50.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Son Rompe Pera perform in the Cultural Exchange Pavilion Stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Friday, May 2, 2025.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Then, Tipitina\u2019s hosts a late-night show starting around 2 a.m. with The Iceman Special.<\/strong> Tickets start at $25.<\/p>\n Geno Delafose<\/strong> and Terrance Simien<\/strong> team up for a double Zydeco Night at Rock \u2018N\u2019 Bowl; tickets are $20.<\/p>\n Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen<\/strong> funk up Chickie Wah Wah for the early, 8 p.m. show; tickets start at $40.<\/p>\n The Maple Leaf Bar presents bassist Roland Guerin\u2019s ProgFunk<\/strong> project at 8 p.m.; tickets are $24. At 10 p.m., drummer Johnny Vidacovich<\/strong> is joined by Sonny Landreth<\/strong> and Corey Duplechin<\/strong> at the Leaf; tickets are $34.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a big night of guitar as New Orleans-based Samantha Fish<\/strong> and south Louisiana\u2019s Tab Benoit<\/strong> plug in at the Fillmore. Tickets start at $54.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Robin Barnes<\/strong> is the very definition of a working New Orleans musician. For years, she\u2019s been a fixture at local nightclubs, festivals, inaugurations and other civic events. In all that time, she\u2019d never released her own full-length album \u2014 until now. \u201cLouisiana Love\u201d dropped just in time for the 2026 festival season. Surrounded by a slew of special guests, she showcases her supple voice on songs that draw on everything from Cajun and zydeco to R&B to Mardi Gras Indian music. She\u2019ll celebrate the release of \u201cLouisiana Love\u201d at d.b.a. on Frenchmen Street on Friday. Showtime is 9:30 p.m.; advance tickets start at $20.<\/p>\n For \u201cScott Sharrard\u2019s Endless Road Live\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0at the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market, the Little Feat singer\/guitarist and Substack writer will tell stories and play songs from his 12 years as Gregg Allman\u2019s bandleader, his seven-years-and-counting with Little Feat and his early history as a Meters-loving teenage guitarist in Milwaukee. For the music segments of the show, he\u2019ll be joined by his Little Feat bandmate Fred Tackett<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 they\u2019ll be touring as a duo later this year\u00a0\u2014 and local keyboardist John \u201cPapa\u201d Gros<\/strong> and slide guitarist Marc Stone<\/strong>. Showtime is 8 p.m.; tickets start at $41.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Wilco<\/strong> is back at the Saenger for night two.<\/p>\n Guitarist Warren Haynes is back at the Orpheum Theater, this time with his band Gov\u2019t Mule<\/strong>. Tickets start at $60.<\/p>\n The Heavyweights<\/strong> hit the Joy Theater with bassist Oteil Burbridge<\/strong>; tickets start at $53.<\/p>\n Dan Penn<\/strong> wrote some of the greatest songs in soul music, including \u201cDark End of the Street,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m Your Puppet,\u201d \u201cDoe Right Woman Do Right Man\u201d and \u201cCry Like A Man.\u201d He and his longtime co-writer and pianist Spooner Oldham<\/strong>, a legend of Memphis, Tennessee, soul music in his own right, team up for the 8 p.m. Friday show at Chickie Wah Wah, a reprise of their 2025 Jazz Fest show at the same venue. Tickets start at $45.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In a separate show, jazz saxophonist Ravi Coltrane<\/strong> holds court at Chickie Wah Wah starting at 10:30 p.m.; tickets are $40. Then, guitarist Papa Mali\u2019s<\/strong> rock steady band Shantytown Underground<\/strong> grooves at Chickie Wah Wah starting around 1 a.m.; tickets are $25.<\/p>\n Southwest Louisiana slide guitar ace Sonny Landreth<\/strong> and Dustin Dale Gaspard<\/strong> share a bill at Rock \u2018N\u2019 Bowl; tickets start at $30.<\/p>\n Drummer and vibraphonist Jason Marsalis<\/strong> hosts a tribute to his late father, the great jazz pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis Jr., with special guests Jon Cowherd<\/strong> and Victor Goines<\/strong> at Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets are $50.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Jason Marsalis plays the vibraphone.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Following a sold-out Galactic<\/strong> show at Tipitina\u2019s, keyboardist, singer and songwriter Neal Francis<\/strong> takes over at Tip\u2019s for a show starting at 2 a.m.; tickets are $44 plus fees.<\/p>\n It\u2019s \u201cQueens Night\u201d at the Joy Theater with a triple bill of Tank & the Bangas, Big Freedia<\/strong> and Dawn Richard<\/strong>. Showtime is 10 p.m. Tickets start at $64.<\/p>\n Modern jazz saxophone legend Kenny Garrett<\/strong> plays two shows, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., at the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market. Tickets start at $31.<\/p>\n New Orleans guitarist and songwriter Anders Osborne\u2019s \u201cNOLA Birthday Bash\u201d<\/strong> at the Civic Theatre opens with the Rebirth Brass Band<\/strong> and features Dave Malone<\/strong> of The Radiators, Jackie Greene<\/strong>, Lindsay Lou<\/strong> and other guests. Tickets start at $56.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Anders Osborne and his band on the Festival Stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Friday, May 3, 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n New Orleans modern jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard<\/strong>, whose resume includes a bevy of film scores for Spike Lee, Oscar nominations and Grammy Awards, is at Chickie Wah Wah at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $50. Then, Louisiana soul singer Durand Jones<\/strong> takes over for a 10:30 p.m. show with special guest Erica Falls<\/strong>; tickets are $47.50.<\/p>\n New Orleans master drummer Herlin Riley<\/strong> is joined by Ghana-born djembe master Weedie Braimah<\/strong> at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. at Snug Harbor. Tickets are $50.<\/p>\n Cowboy Mouth<\/strong> rocks Rock \u2018N\u2019 Bowl with opener Few Blue<\/strong>; tickets are $30.<\/p>\n Blues-rock guitarist Eric Johanson<\/strong> is at the Maple Leaf Bar at 8 p.m.; tickets are $24. Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen<\/strong> play a sold-out show at 10 p.m.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Marcus King Band<\/strong> brings its \u201cWaltz Across Texas\u201d show to the Orpheum Theater; tickets start at $53.<\/p>\n Experience Joe Russo\u2019s Almost Dead<\/strong> at the Fillmore; tickets start at $78.<\/p>\n Less than 24 hours after his very late-night Friday show at Tipitina\u2019s, Neal Francis<\/strong> returns for a sold-out show at 9 p.m. Saturday. The late-night Saturday show, starting at 2 a.m., is by FiyaPowa!<\/strong>, a collaboration between members of Galactic and Dumpstaphunk. Tickets are $32.<\/p>\n The Meters<\/strong>, with Ivan Neville<\/strong> filling in for his late uncle Art, reunite for a sold-out show at the Saenger Theatre, following a reunion last weekend at the Fillmore.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Ari Lennox<\/strong> brings “The Vacancy Tour” to the Fillmore; tickets start at $85.<\/p>\n The New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market presents The Triumvirate<\/strong>, a high-powered modern jazz summit\/collaboration between acclaimed pianist Robert Andre Glasper, bassist Christian McBride and New Orleans native trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Nicholas Payton. The Triumvirate will perform two shows. The first opens with a DJ Soul Sister<\/strong> set at 6 p.m., followed by The Triumvirate at 8. The Triumvirate plays a second show at 10 p.m. Tickets start at $65.<\/p>\n Singer and pianist Judith Owen<\/strong> celebrates the release of \u201cSuit Yourself,\u201d an album on which she intermingles big band arrangements and jazz sextet arrangements, at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. at Snug Harbor with special guest Davell Crawford<\/strong>. Tickets are $40.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Rock \u2018N\u2019 Bowl hosts a tribute to Eric Clapton and Phil Collins<\/strong>; admission is $20.<\/p>\n Eric Lindell<\/strong>, the guitarist, singer and songwriter who works the full spectrum of Gulf Coast soul, R&B and honky-tonk music, is on at 8 p.m. at Chickie Wah Wah; tickets are $35.<\/p>\n The 10:30 p.m. show at Chickie Wah Wah is Papa Mali<\/strong>\u2019s annual birthday bash, which is also a celebration of the music of David Lindley. A host of special guests are slated to take part, including longtime Lindley bandmate Wally Ingram<\/strong>, the Iguanas<\/strong> and more. Tickets are $35.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Papa Mali Acoustic Trio performs at the new d.b.a. outdoor venue on Frenchmen Street during their second night open in New Orleans, Friday, May 21, 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Dumpstaphunk<\/strong> closes out the big weekend at Tipitina\u2019s; the New Breed Brass Band<\/strong> opens the show at 9 p.m. Tickets are $35.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n On the day after Jazz Fest\u2019s finale, trombone-powered rock band Bonerama<\/strong> celebrates the release of its \u201cSo Much Love\u201d album on vinyl with special guests Omari Neville<\/strong> and Johnny Sansone<\/strong> at Chickie Wah Wah at 8 p.m.; tickets are $30.<\/p>\n At Snug Harbor, the Charmaine Neville Band<\/strong> is joined by trumpeter Wendell Brunious<\/strong> at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $35.<\/p>\n Havana-born, New Orleans-based percussionist Alexey Marti<\/strong> powers his AfroGumbo<\/strong> ensemble at Snug Harbor at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $35.<\/p>\n Martha Reeves<\/strong> was the lead name in Martha and the Vandellas, the 1960s girl group whose run of hits for Motown Records included \u201cHeat Wave,\u201d \u201cDancing in the Street,\u201d \u201cNowhere to Run\u201d and \u201cJimmy Mack,\u201d among others. A Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Reeves later became a council member in Detroit. On Wednesday, she\u2019ll sit down at the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market with a moderator for Come and Get These Memories: An Evening of Conversation with Motown Legend Martha Reeves.<\/strong>\u00a0Instead of performing, she\u2019ll offer candid stories and insights about her time as a Motown star and all that has followed, including the role New Orleans played in the creation of her forthcoming album.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Singer Martha Reeves of legendary 1960s Motown Records girl group Martha and the Vandellas.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n
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\n Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune<\/span>
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\n PROVIDED PHOTO BY DWAYNE HILLS<\/span>
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\n Photo by Chris Granger The Times-Picayune<\/span>
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\n STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER<\/span>
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\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nMONDAY<\/h3>\n
TUESDAY<\/h3>\n
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