Jazz Fest 2021 Looks a Lot Like 2020, but with Buffett, Lovato, and No Who ... Yet

Jon Batiste and friends in his “Freedom” video

The Jazz Fest talent lineup answers the basic questions but leaves a lot up in the air for now.

The talent announcement for this year’s special October edition of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell answers the most immediate question—who’s playing?—but leaves a lot unanswered. Many of the headliners and visiting artists were booked to play the COVID-canceled 2020 edition: Dead & Company, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, Lizzo, The Black Crowes, Brandi Carlile,  H.E.R., Norah Jones, Wu-Tang Clan featuring  The Soul Rebels, The Beach Boys, David Sanborn, Jon Batiste, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Brittany Howard, The Isley Brothers, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Chris Isaak, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Arturo Sandoval, Ledisi, Ricky Skaggs, El Gran Combo, Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials, Playing for Change Band, Shovels & Rope, Asleep at the Wheel, Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science, as well as many if not all of the local acts announced. 

New to the lineup are Demi Lovato, Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Ludacris, Ziggy Marley: Songs of Bob Marley, Randy Newman, Charlie Musselwhite, Martha Redbone Roots Project,Melissa Etheridge, Boz Scaggs, Rickie Lee Jones, Tower of Power, and Keb’ Mo’ Band.

So far, here’s who has been announced in the announcement’s order: 

Dead & Company, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band, Lizzo, Demi Lovato, The Black Crowes, H.E.R., Brandi Carlile, Norah Jones, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Beach Boys, Ludacris, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Jon Batiste, Wu-Tang Clan feat. The Soul Rebels, Ziggy Marley: Songs of Bob Marley, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, The Revivalists, Brittany Howard,  Randy Newman, Irma Thomas, Melissa Etheridge, The Isley Brothers, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Boz Scaggs, Rickie Lee Jones, Ledisi, Tower of Power, David Sanborn, Tank and The Bangas, Big Freedia, Chris Isaak, Keb’ Mo’ Band, Preservation  Hall  Jazz Band,  PJ Morton, Samantha Fish, Tribute to Dr. John, The Count Basie Orchestra, Galactic, Playing for Change Band,  Terence Blanchard feat The E-Collective, Rebirth Brass Band, Shovels & Rope, Cyril Neville, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Asleep at the Wheel, Arturo Sandoval, Davell Crawford, El Gran Combo, Kermit Ruffins & the Barbeque Swingers, Martha Redbone Roots Project, Ricky Skaggs, Doug Kershaw, Boyfriend, Charlie Musselwhite, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, The Radiators, Anders Osborne, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Soul Rebels, Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials, Tab Benoit, Leo Nocentelli, Walter Wolfman Washington & the Roadmasters, Puss N Boots, Deacon John, The Campbell Brothers, George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, Little Freddie King, Nicholas Payton, Kathy Taylor and Favor, David Shaw, Tribute to Bessie Smith, The Roots of Music Marching Crusaders, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Golden Eagles Mardi Gras Indians, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Jermaine Landrum & Abundant Praise Revival Choir, New Orleans Nightcrawlers, Ronnie Lamarque, We are One and Divine Ladies Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, plus hundreds more artists scheduled to appear at the first-ever Jazz Fest in October. 

Conspicuous in their absence is The Who, who said they hoped to start their North American tour at Jazz Fest. That tour has yet to be announced though, so they’re not on the lineup even though they were scheduled to play in 2020 as well. Just hours ago, Roger Daltrey canceled an American tour he hastily scheduled with The Who’s touring band, so we may be watching the way rock gods communicate in 2021. 

Equally conspicuous is the shortness of the talent announcement. The 50-plus artists announced would almost fill out one day’s schedule at Jazz Fest, and even though this year’s festival is a six-day festival with no Locals Thursdays, a lot more names need to be announced for a complete lineup. I wouldn’t expect a lot more national acts, though I’m sure the door remains open for The Who. The lineup as announced lacks traditional jazz, Cajun/zydeco, gospel and kids’ acts, and it is much lighter on local acts than it will be come October. 

With this year’s festival, Jazz Fest has moved in line with other major festivals and put weekend ticket packages on sale first. Single day tickets will go on sale in July, but a variety of ticket packages including a weekend general admission wristband is on sale now. The general admission wristband sells for $200 per weekend while supplies last, then $225. That breaks down to $67 per day for early birds and $75 for regular wristbands, which puts them on par or cheaper than 2019 for advance purchases. No word yet on what the single day tickets will cost or what tickets will cost at the door. 

As usual, there are also premium packages, and they’re on sale now as well. 

Essentially, Jazz Fest gave people a reason to buy tickets and put the tickets on sale. Jazz Fest has announced that it will act in accordance with city and state COVID protocols, but we don’t yet know what that means, including whether or not there is a capacity for this year’s festival. Nor do we know how moving to October will affect the festival. The sun sets on average a half-hour earlier in October than April, so shows that end at 7 p.m. will do so in the dark. We don’t know how the festival will deal with that reality, nor do we know if all the stages will be up and running. The international pavilion will likely be hit not only by the challenges of international travel while different continents battle COVID at different speeds, but also by the absence of Festival International to give acts a number of opportunities to play in a short span of time. 

The food tents will be affected by the change of season. Neither crawfish or strawberries will be in season, so some vendors will have to switch to Chinese crawfish or change their specialties. 

One surprise is that Big Freedia and Lizzo are scheduled on separate weekends. Since Lizzo sang on Freedia’s “Karaoke” and they play to similar audiences, they seem like a natural double bill. Hopefully the fact that they’re separated means that Big Freedia will finally headline the Congo Square Stage this year—an honor she has earned. 

Another surprise is the lack of Frankie Beverly and Maze, who have become the Sunday closer on the Congo Square Stage. With The Isley Brothers on the bill, I wouldn’t expect Maze to be a late addition.  

Right now, I see three, maybe five New Orleans headliners: The Wu-Tang-aided Soul Rebels, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, and Jon Batiste. Big Freedia might be a headliner, and looking at the lineup for the second weekend, Irma Thomas could be a Blues Tent or Gospel Tent headliner.