The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival with performing artist Big Chief Donald Harrison, Andrew Duhon, Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers, Youssou Ndour, Marimba Nandayapa of Mexico, Chapel Hart, PJ Morton, Lila Downs of Mexico, and Cheap Trick performing at the New Orleans Fair Ground and Slots on Friday, April 25, 2025. #jazzfest2025 #jazzfest #music #whereyatnola2025 #whereyatmagazine2025.
Jazz Fest First Friday
By Sabrina Stone
My best laid plans for the first Friday of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival had been to catch Gal Holiday & the Honky Tonk Revue at 11 a.m. Led by quiet powerhouse Vanessa Neimann, their soothing honky tonk, Western swing, and rockabilly sound was a great choice to kick off the Festival Stage. I didn't make it there on time, but if you didn't either, you can catch them at the Carrollton Station on April 26, next Friday and Saturday at Jazz Fest after parties, or the following Tuesday at the Give NOLA Day Concert in Mickey Markey Park.
I did catch the Crowe Boys, next up on the festival stage. The band of brothers saw an astronomical climb only a few years ago, via TikTok, with their heartfelt acoustic, melodic Americana. The local band will be hitting national and international festivals all year.
By 1 o'clock, it was time to wake up with the rousing L.B. Landry Gospel Choir. The Gospel Tent, covered and misted, often does a great job reviving you, energetically, when the heat and the crowds get to be a bit much. When I was ready to go back into the fray, I linked up with the Matlachines Los Venados Mexican Parade, which had a South of the Border Mardi Gras Indian feel to it. They took me straight to the Cultural Exchange Pavilion, where Marimba Nandayapa of Mexico was vibing up a storm.
Big Chief Donald Harrison dolled out classic New Orleans' standards on the Congo Square stage. His sax playing is unbelievably smooth and all the Jazz Master awards he's won have been well-earned. Hopping over to catch The Iguanas at the Fais Do-Do stage after that was like stepping into the "Jazz Fest Dad" portal. The area was packed with Bayou Brands patterns of yore, Tevas, and images of alligators wherever you looked. Unfortunately, the cigar smoke was inescapable, but that just made me grateful for how clean the air was on the rest of the festival grounds. The scene was complete with sounds and smells. The Iguanas, like Harrison, have been performing steadily since the '90s and were sounding a little tired at first, but once they began to sing, their more lively bilingual songs and that accordion kicked into full gear—it was clear what brought them such adoring repeat customers.
I didn't expect to be stopped in my tracks by 2:40 p.m. My goal had been to catch the first half of the Seratones at the Festival Stage and the second half of Youssou NDOUR's velvety Senegalese vocals back at Congo Square, but front woman A.J. Haynes got my attention and held it. The Seratones' special brand of rock 'n' soul/funk is riveting and they just genuinely seemed to be giving a performance full of joy. The hour was up before I noticed—they quickly converted me from a listener to a fan.
Surviving Jazz Fest is all about reapplying sunscreen and taking breaks, so 3:40 was a perfect time to grab a frozen mocktail, shrimp beignets, and camp out at the Blues Tent for Carolyn Wonderland. The Texan tornado of a lap steel player brought an air of lawlessness to her performance. We may have been seated again, with misters, but her attitude made it clear that we hadn't accidentally wandered back into the Gospel Tent. After a few songs, I made a B-line back to the Congo Square stage for PJ Morton. I ended up singing along to several choruses with some favorite local musicians I spotted in the crowd, but no one knew all the words quite as well as Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who was standing right in front of us, bringing big auntie energy in her visor and bright blue blouse.
As the Jazz Fest Locals Thursday Day 1 reviewer mentioned, El Dusty & The Homies popped up several times to throw down a raucous dance party in the Mexican Cultural Exchange Pavilion. While my friends were all rushing to the Festival Stage to get a good spot for Kacey Musgraves, I was happy to be waylaid by such happy energy. I did have to use my power of being small to wind a path towards a clear view for Spacey Kacey, since I arrived a bit late. Once I wedged myself in there, there was little hope of sneaking out for Cheap Trick or Stanley Clarke but Kacey gave a humorous, heartfelt performance that was worth sticking around for. She played all the big hits, and even some songs off of her first studio album, Same Trailer Different Park, making jokes like, "C'mon, Grandma. Haven't you heard of a situationship?" and singing progressive lyrics while stating, "I don't understand why country music wouldn't evolve to include everyone." By the time she sang, "Slow Burn," the reason I didn't wear mascara to the festival, you could hear people drunkenly yelling out, "I love her so much!" and I don't blame them. There are a lot of things about Kacey Musgraves to love, and Day 2 of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was an emotional one!
