2020 New Orleans​ Jazz and Heritage Festival Announces a Remarkable Lineup

Published on January 17, 2020

In the last week of April, there’s no better place to be than New Orleans. Why? The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. They’ve announced their lineup for the year, and woo boy, it’s fantastic.

With a line-up of stars including, but not limited to The Who, Brittany Howard, Erykah Badu, Steve Knicks, Foo Fighters, Elvis Costello, H.E.R., and the names go on and on. It’s a week of incredible music in one of the best cities in the world. Book your tickets if you can.

Say if you had to pick between Coachella or New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, how would anyone not pick the latter? For starters, it’s a music festival set in a place with the ultimate love for music, not a place with the ultimate love for fame. The prices are more manageable. The people and crowds are cooler. There’s a larger array of artists.

And, again, who wouldn’t rather spend a week in New Orleans than a weekend in a desert that provides all kinds of headaches getting to and from? New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is where it’s at this summer, and already, I envy anyone who’ll attend and catch all these wonderful, wonderful artists.

The Full Line-Up

Did I mention Kool & the Gang and Lizzo are playing, too? Everyone and their uncle is playing at this festival.

The long list of acts covers a wide-range of genres and taste. Nobody should feel left out by this lineup. For anyone going to the festival, here’s a couple of acts not too miss…

Brittany Howard

Howard was the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the great Alabama Shakes. With only two albums completed before Howard went solo, the band put out killer music packed with emotion, rock, and soul. With her first solo album, “Jamie,” Howard again delivers a sound new and familiar on her own.

Her voice and guitar combined is a hell of a thing. Howard recently completed a fall tour, and in the new year, she’ll hit the road again. Anyone who can’t see her at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival should catch one of her upcoming dates, because there’s nobody else like Howard in music today. She’s all passion.

Erykah Badu 

The queen of this year’s New Orleans-based festival. Erykah Badu, who’s basically a living and breathing art piece herself, has a presence that must be witnessed in person. All eyes are on her.

The musician hasn’t released an album in years, as she’s not an artist to force it, but she remains a marvel as she tours. Badu’s music sends thunderous waves of feel-good vibes through an entranced audience. It’s an untouchable experience. 

Elvis Costello & The Imposters 

Costello is such a cool cat. Even when he puts on a rock show with his band, The Imposters, he can make a theater feel like an intimate club. Such a great, smooth talker.

He’s one of those artists who could go on and on in-between songs, and a crowd won’t mind. Costello is a beauty to the ears when he’s solo and acoustic, but when he’s with The Imposters and in rockstar mode, it’s a blast of great tunes and classy English showmanship. 

Kool & The Gang

Kool & The Gang is pure magic. Whether we’re talking their big radio hits and classics or their instrumental tracks, they know how to make a body move and groove. They reach the body and soul with their music.

It’s such a high listening and dancing to Kool & The Gang, and it’s a spectacular feeling that, hopefully, still remains when they play live. 

The Who 

Only half of the original band is alive and touring, but Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend still put on a good ‘ol classic rock show together after over 40 years of bickering and rocking out. Those great songs of theirs do not age. The duo can still raise goosebumps with their music. Daltry screaming “Reign Over Me” and Townshend singing “Eminence Front” with more boom and rust than ever, those are concert moments not to miss.

Jack Giroux is a Staff Writer at Grit Daily. Based in Los Angeles, he is an entertainment journalist who's previously written for Thrillist, Slash Film, Film School Rejects, and The Film Stage.

Read more

More GD News