New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2022 has officially come to a close after seven total days of music, food, and culture at the Fair Grounds Race Course spread over the last two weekends.
Following the customary “Locals Thursday” on May 5th, Jazz Fest’s second half continued on Friday with performances by The Black Crowes, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Busta Rhymes, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Big Freedia, and many more.
Friday Fair Grounds highlights included a high-powered afternoon set by Afro-Cuban funk sensation Cimafunk at Congo Square, a packed house for Sonny Landreth at the Blues Tent, a Jazz Tent tribute to Allen Toussaint by Adonis Rose and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and a show-stealing performance by Spy Boy J & Thee Storm Mardi Gras Indians in the Cultural Exchange Pavilion.
On Saturday, Jazz Fest welcomed a lineup stacked with some of the most beloved and talented women ever to grace a stage, from Stevie Nicks to Erykah Badu to Mavis Staples (who subbed in last-minute when Melissa Etheridge tested positive for COVID-19). Other Saturday stars included The Revivalists, Rebirth Brass Band, Shovels & Rope, Dottie Peoples, Samantha Fish, and scores of others.
The seventh and final day of 2022 festivities at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Sunday, May 8th saw local heroes Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue close down the Festival Stage while Norah Jones welcomed Tarriona “Tank” Ball of Tank and the Bangas for a duet on “Don’t Know Why” in the Jazz Tent, Buddy Guy held court in the Blues Tent, and Zac Brown Band (filling in for a COVID-sidelined Willie Nelson) welcomed Lukas Nelson and The Horn Section during its closing set at the Gentilly Stage on the opposite end of the grounds. Earlier in the day, Jimmy Buffett brought some Margaritaville vibes—and a Grateful Dead cover, for good measure—to the Festival Stage.
Check out photos from Friday, May 6th–Sunday, May 8th at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival below via photographer Ron Valle. Read about our attempt to see as much of Jazz Fest as possible in three hours on Thursday here. Revisit photos from weekend one here and here.
Until next year, Jazz Fest. It can’t come soon enough. For more information on the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, head here.
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