Rolling Stones to rock New Orleans Jazz Fest after two previous attempts

NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is often akin to a 14-ring musical circus – a variety of musical acts playing simultaneously on stages spread throughout the expansive infield of a historic horse racing track.

That changes on Thursday afternoon, when 13 stages fall silent before the Rolling Stones make their first appearance at the 54-year-old festival.

“We didn’t want to have 13 empty stages and no people in front of them when the Stones started singing favorites like ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash,’” said festival producer Quint Davis . The Associated Press before the festival. “Everyone who bought a ticket that day mainly bought one to see the Stones.”

Jazz Fest is the Stones’ second stop on their Hackney Diamonds tour, launched in support of the well-received album they released last year, their first album of original material in 18 years. They were scheduled to appear at the 50th Jazz Fest in 2019, but had to cancel because of Mick Jagger’s heart surgery. A planned subsequent appearance was canceled in 2021 when the festival was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fans of New Orleans rhythm and blues artists will be watching to see if the legendary group performs “Time Is On My Side,” which was one of the band’s first hits. New Orleans soul queen Irma Thomas had success with the song on a previous recording, and Thomas told WVUE-TV in an interview that “there is a possibility” she could sing it with the band.

Thursday’s weather for the outdoor festival is a bit sketchy. Forecasts show a mostly cloudy horizon, with temperatures in the mid-80s (around 30 Celsius), but there is up to a 40% chance of rain in the afternoon.

Dumpstaphunk, a funk-fusion band born in New Orleans with descendants of the city’s well-known Neville family, plays just before the Stones take the festival’s biggest stage. Dumpstaphunk is mourning the recent death of bassist Nick Daniels III, co-founder of the group who passed away on Sunday. The cause of death was not disclosed.