Thursday, May 2, at Jazz Fest: The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones headline Thursday at Jazz Fest, and there's plenty of other acts leading up to their show.

Electrifying Crown Seekers

12:05-12:45 p.m. Thursday

Gospel Tent

The Electrifying Crown Seekers were formed in 1965 by James Williams Sr., who died in 2020. Members of his family keep his legacy alive, and the group remains a mainstay at Jazz Fest. They perform in the raw quartet style, aka four-part harmony made famous by groups like The Dixie Hummingbirds and the Blind Boys of Alabama.

Enkele

12:15-1:10 p.m. Thursday

Jazz & Heritage Stage

2:25-3:30 p.m. Thursday

Cultural Exchange Pavilion

While women have been welcomed as singers in traditional Afro-Colombian music, they rarely have been found playing instruments. The all-women group Enkele is breaking that barrier in Colombian music through its percussion-forward music from the northern regions of the country.

Enkele also performs Friday at 11:20 a.m. on the Festival Stage and at 3:30 in the Cultural Exchange Pavilion. Members of the band also will be interviewed at 1:15-2 p.m. on the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage.

Honey Island Swamp Band

2:10-3:10 p.m. Thursday

Gentilly Stage

Named for the marsh that borders Louisiana and Mississippi, the New Orleans-based Honey Island Swamp Band incorporates heaps of blues, soul, country and R&B into its extensive repertoire. The group released its latest record “Custom Deluxe” in October 2023, drawing comparisons to The Allman Brothers, Neville Brothers and The Eagles.

Higher Heights Reggae

2:05-3:20 p.m. Thursday

Congo Square Stage

This woman-fronted reggae group formed almost 25 years ago and regularly brings Jamaican sounds including dancehall and soca music to Frenchmen Street clubs like Cafe Negril and d.b.a. The group is based in New Orleans but has extensively toured, opening for legends like Steel Pulse and Burning Spear.

New Orleans Jazz Vipers

2:10-3:15 p.m. Thursday

Economy Hall

Taking in a live performance by the New Orleans Jazz Vipers is like taking a romantic trip back in time to the flirtatious, feverish days of the Jazz Age. The spirited swing jazz band is led by saxophonist Joe Braun, trombonist Craig Klein and pianist Steve DeTroy. The group was a longtime fixture at The Spotted Cat on Frenchmen Street, and now has a weekly residency at the nearby Royal Frenchmen Hotel. Its repertoire includes originals and classics by Louis Armstrong, Count Baisie, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday, with their most recent release being 2020’s “Is There a Chance for Me.”

Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys

2:10-3:20 p.m. Thursday

Fais Do-Do Stage

Jeffery Broussard is a virtuoso on the accordion and has been a musician since he was a young child growing up in Acadiana. He cut his chops playing drums in his dad’s band, Delton Broussard & the Lawtell Playboys. Eventually, he moved onto the accordion, following in the footsteps of his older brother Clinton. From there he continued learning the Creole zydeco musical traditions, while also modernizing his sound. The band’s performances are wide ranging and eclectic, sure to get fans on their feet.

no.jazzfestday1.042923.0073.jpg (copy) — Tommy McClain will perform on Thursday at Jazz Fest.
Photo by David Grunfeld / The Times-Picayune

Tommy McLain and C.C. Adcock

2:15-3:30 p.m. Thursday

Blues Tent

Swamp pop icons Tommy McLain and C.C. Adcock have teamed up for years. In fact, Adcock remembers hanging out in music clubs as a teenager to see McLain, over 30 years his senior, perform. Eventually, they formed a friendship and musical partnership. Adcock fondly refers to McLain as his “swamp poppa,” and produced his critically acclaimed 2022 album, “I Ran Down Every Dream.” In addition to producing, Adcock is a charismatic performer who has garnered Grammy nominations and scored music for films and TV shows, including HBO’s “True Blood.” Recently he wrote the theme song for the “Road House” reboot (for which he is hosting a screening at BJ’s Lounge with McLain and Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. on May 1) and appeared on-screen, as did McLain. The duo will be joined by pianist Jon Cleary and saxophonist Dickie Landry, and the ensemble plans to perform many of McLain’s Gulf Coast classics, as well as some newer tracks.

Los Guiros

12:40-1:40 p.m. Thursday

Cultural Exchange Pavilion

2:45-3:45 p.m. Thursday

Jazz & Heritage Stage

Los Guiros blends electronica, folk music, Latin sounds and other worldly influences into their high-energy sets. The group calls its style “psychedelic cumbia” — incorporating traditions of the genre born as a Colombian dance music — and infusing it with trippy, tropical New Orleans flavor. Los Guiros is a major component of New Orleans’ up and coming Latin music scene. Their catchy single, “Cumbia Mezcal,” is like a boozy vacation in song form and a nod to the old Mexican saying, “When everything is bad: Mezcal. When everything is good: also!”

The Rolling Stones

5-7 p.m.

Festival Stage

The Rolling Stones need no introduction from us. After all, the British legends have been together for nearly seven decades and are widely considered to be the pioneers of hard rock 'n’ roll. But it’s fitting that the Stones will finally stake the stage at New Orleans’ biggest music festival, as the group’s sound has been heavily influenced by Southern (and Chicago-style) blues over the years, all the way from across the pond. Plus, the momentum has been building: The Stones were originally booked to play at Jazz Fest in 2019 but canceled due to frontman Mick Jagger’s heart surgery.

The group returned to New Orleans for a sort of make-up show a few months later at the Superdome — its first local set in 25 years. In 2021, the fest tried to book the band as headliners, but the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in everyone’s plans, forcing the entire festival to be canceled. And the band also lost legendary drummer Charlie Watts in 2021. Now, New Orleanians and visitors from far and wide finally have a chance to see the Stones live and in full rock and roll glory at the Fair Grounds.