It never ends in New Orleans. It’s festival season and there is a ton of music happening around town. Here are my tips for where to catch the best.
Woldenberg Park on the riverfront in the French Quarter will be hosting concerts all day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This being a NCAA-sponsored event in conjunction with the Final Four college basketball championship being played in the Mercedes Benz Superdome (first time I have written that!), there are some big names scheduled. KISS headlines Friday, the Black Keys on Saturday and Jimmy Buffett on Sunday.
But in between, there are some intriguing options. Get up early for the Funky Meters on Saturday at 11:45 AM and Dr. John plays on Sunday at 4:30 PM.
There are at least two other festivals going on as well. The Old Algiers River Fest is at Mardi Gras World on the West Bank and the Fete Francaise takes place uptown to support Ecole Bilingue de la Nouvelle—a school that focuses on the French language.
Nighttime activities include a benefit/party for football hero Steve Gleason at Tipitina’s featuring John Boutte, Benny D, and Spyboy, the Honey Island Swamp Band, Shamarr Allen, and the Louisiana Philharmonic Horns.
For more sedate but still stimulating sounds head to Snug Harbor for Ellis Marsalis’ regular Friday night gig. But don’t go without a ticket in hand. Last week, some forlorn tourists were shut out of the sold out show.
Saturday night, the Rob Wagner Trio plays early at Three Muses. I caught their set a couple of weeks back and it was way cool. Mia Borders funks up the Blue Nile on Frenchmen Street starting at 11 PM and Papa Mali’s new band, Uptown Double Shotgun, tears the tin roof off the Maple Leaf Bar. See you there!
