New Orleans Jazz, Heritage Festival 2018 Lineup Rumors: 5 Artists Fans Want

Currently, there’s little known about the 2018 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, except for that it will be held April 27 to May 6. Not only is the lineup top secret, but the date that the artists will be announced is unknown as well. Despite all of that, avid festivalgoers, with a lot of experience with this specific event, are sharing their guesses and suggestions of who will be performing.

Here are some of the lineup speculations from Jazz Fest Forum and if there’s any chance that these artists will actually be performing at the event this year:

1. Phish

The band has performed at the festival twice before, in 1996 and 2014, both on the same day of April 26. If the band has some superstition or attachment to that date, then they won’t be performing this year as the event doesn’t even begin until April 27. If they don’t, then there is a chance because right now, member Mike Gordon ends his tour on April 5 and member Trey Anastasio finishes his personal tour on April 28, which means that they are free just in time to make it over to New Orleans to perform.

2. John Mayer / Dead & Company

The only concerts the singer is currently set to play are the rescheduled dates from his The Search For Everything Tour with his band Dead & Company last year, after Mayer had to postpone due to an emergency surgery.

The new dates are for this February, and then he is very free after those dates, leaving him an opening to perform at the festival, which he last did in 2013. Him performing alone or as Dead & Company is possible.

3. Brandi Carlile

After performing already at the New Orleans festival in 2016, it’s clear that Carlile is open to it, though it’s unclear if she’s willing to return only two years later. That said, her current touring schedule leads one to believe that she is ready to return because she has concerts from now until April 22 and then she doesn’t pick up with another long stream of dates until May 4. That means she just so happens to have a break when the Jazz Fest is, and her April 22 event is a festival in South Carolina, meaning she’s already on the circuit.

4. Ben Harper

The singer-songwriter performed at the Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2013 and then played an after show concert during Jazz Fest in 2016. If he doesn’t want to wait the full three years before returning to the festival and its surrounding events, then 2018 is his year. With only one event on his schedule as of now, and it being a festival in February, it looks like the New Orleans concert could be worked into his calendar.

5. Trombone Shorty

A hometown favorite, Trombone Shorty performed at the festival for the first time when he was five years old, and he’s continued to play at the event quite often throughout his career. His most recent attendance occurred last year when he helped to close out the event. As of now, he has no events scheduled for April or May, leaving the festival once again as an option for him.

Rumors and speculations aside, the two-weekend festival will have lots of great music in many genres, including jazz, blues, gospel, country, bluegrass, R&B and more. The lineup is likely to be announced by the end of January, as it has been in previous years.