New Orleans' most famous concerts: a brief history of live music in the Crescent City
The Allman Brothers at The Warehouse in 1972 (photo by Sidney Smith)
Live on stage, and in our imaginations: Some of New Orleans' most famous concerts
Paul Oswell
Care to take a guess at the number of concerts that have taken place in New Orleans since live music was first performed here? Care to count the number of beads ever thrown at Mardi Gras parades?
From early drumming circles in Congo Square in the late 18th century, to the creation of jazz in rowdy Storyville bordellos, all the way to, say, Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. From open mic singer-songwriters playing to a man and his dog in your local dive bar to Superdome sell-outs, best estimates are that around 700-800 gigs PER WEEK take place across the city. Let’s say a conservative nine million concerts in 250 years. That’s a lot of live music any way you slice it.
Not all gigs are created equal, though, and some concerts have stayed in the imagination of New Orleans’ music lovers, spoken about with reverence, outrage, and outright love. Some sparked movements and traditions, and some are famous for other, more scandalous reasons. Here are some concerts that loom large in the annals of the city’s vast musical history, and at the end, one concert that’s famous because it didn’t take place at all. It’s not AT ALL a comprehensive list - email us and tell us which we’ve missed out, I’d love to hear about more.
In no particular order, then, the New Orleans* concerts that made history (*we’re allowing one in Baton Rouge):
Mahalia Jackson, Congo Square, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (1970)
This wasn’t really a ‘concert’ in the strictest sense, but it was a live performance within a new festival that created lasting history. In April 1970, 350 (!) people turned up to a new event called the ‘Louisiana Heritage Fair’ in Congo Square. On the bill were legendary names: Duke Ellington, Fats Domino, The Meters, and arguably the greatest Gospel singer of all time, Mahalia Jackson, who had returned to her hometown specifically to appear. Touring the venue, Ms. Jackson and Duke Ellington came upon the Eureka Brass Band, who were leading a crowd of second-line revelers through the grounds. George Wein, producer of the Festival, handed Ms. Jackson a microphone, and she spontaneously broke out into the spiritual standard ‘Just a Closer Walk with Thee’ to the band's syncopated street beat. The crowds went wild, and many musical historians agree that this is when the spirit of what we now call Jazz Fest was truly born.
The Rolling Stones, Louisiana Superdome (December 5, 1981)
The Stones' Tattoo You Tour was a beast. The North American leg alone took in 50 dates, all with an elaborate stage imagined by Japanese designer Kazuhide Yamazaki. The band played to 2.5 million people (at $16 a ticket!) and it was the highest-grossing tour of 1981. New Orleans was the highlight, though. Drawing 87,500 fans, this Superdome show broke the world record for the largest attendance at an indoor concert, a record that lasted for 33 years (country legend George Strait broke the record in Texas in 2014, but the Stones still hold the Superdome record). Local legends The Neville Brothers opened and to celebrate, the Stones rented out a huge riverboat for a late-night party catered by Chef Paul Prudhomme.
Louis Armstrong's last New Orleans concert, New Orleans Municipal Auditorium (1968)
Armstrong's final performance in his hometown of New Orleans took place on May 18, 1968, at the Municipal Auditorium during an event called ‘Jezzfest '68’, a precursor to Jazz Fest, which he never played*. Satchmo had left for Chicago in 1922 to join King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. He’d been back in 1931 and 1942 (this concert honored the members of New Orleans' first all-Black Navy band before they shipped out to serve in World War II). In ‘68, he could still draw crowds, especially in New Orleans. The 67-year-old trumpeter played with his quintet in front of 5,000 people: “There's always a jumpin' audience in my home town," he told them. The venue was only a few blocks from where Armstrong was born into poverty. He used these homecoming gigs to connect with local youth institutions, including the Milne Boys Home, successor to the Colored Waif's Home where he first learned the cornet. Returning as a global icon shortly before his passing, this triumphant performance was deeply emotional and a politically-charged milestone for the city.
(*there was a major tribute titled "A Salute to Louis Armstrong" held during the second Jazz Fest in 1971)
Queen, Municipal Auditorium (October 31, 1978)
A notorious, high-energy stop on Queen's 1978 ‘Jazz’ tour. The concert itself was typically bombastic and showy, but it was immortalized by the now-legendary Halloween aftershow party held at the Fairmont Hotel (now The Roosevelt). This shindig is widely celebrated as one of the most debauched parties in rock history, and it’s up against some stiff competition as you might imagine. The record label and band spared no expense ($200,000, or just over $1million in today’s money): featured party acts included fire-eaters, drag queens, a man covered entirely in cold cuts, and a selection of hastily-assembled “French Quarter freaks” carrying trays of illicit substances for guests. Oh, to have been in that clean-up crew.
The Grateful Dead and Fleetwood Mac, The Warehouse (January 30th–31st, 1970)
How to make a splash when you’re opening a new venue? Book two of the world’s biggest and most debauched bands, of course. Powder enjoyers Fleetwood Mac opened for acid connoisseurs The Grateful Dead at The Warehouse (1820 Tchoupitoulas Street), a place that became the stuff of legends right from the get-go. Following the first night's performance, NOPD raided the bands’ hotel rooms and arrested 19 people including band members and crew for drug possession. The legal scramble birthed a benefit concert called "Bread for the Dead" (which Fleetwood Mac stayed on to also play at), the entire ordeal immortalized in their anthem "Truckin'" with the famous line: "Busted, down on Bourbon Street / Set up, like a bowling pin”.
The Sex Pistols, Kingfish Club, Baton Rouge (January 9, 1978)
This was a chaotic stop just outside the city line during the band's infamous, doomed 12-day U.S. tour. Seeking maximum controversy and press, the Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren deliberately booked the British punks in conservative Southern country bars rather than standard rock clubs. The Kingfish Club was a 1,000-capacity venue built inside an old grocery store and it was the fourth stop on a turbulent seven-date American tour, sandwiched between San Antonio and Dallas. The crowd featured local punks, curious onlookers, and journalists, though members of the band were reportedly exhausted and listless from “life on the road” - possibly a euphemism given the small number of dates. Apparently the gig was a blur of spitting, out-of-tune guitars, and mutual hostility between the band and locals, so likely considered a success by the spikey Brits.
The Doors, The Warehouse (December 12, 1970)
This was really just a pretty standard winter tour stop for the iconic psychedelic rock group. An early version of the band Kansas opened for them, joining The Doors on stage for "Light My Fire". During The Doors main set, though, a visibly exhausted Jim Morrison forgot lyrics, refused to sing, rambled on about philosophy and life and death, and then famously slammed his microphone stand into the stage until the wood splintered. Eventually, Morrisson sat down on the drum riser, refused to finish the show, and walked off stage. The band cancelled all remaining live dates. Morrisson left for Paris shortly afterwards, where he passed away seven months later in July 1971, making New Orleans his last ever live appearance with the band.
Fats Domino, Loyola Field House (1956)
Another local hero, Domino had been causing mayhem as he toured. This wasn’t anything particularly controversial that he himself was doing, but the emergent styles of both rhythm and blues and rock n’ roll were being demonized by white conservatives. Riots had broken out elsewhere between gig goers and protestors, the most infamous of which was at Palomar Theater in San Jose. For $2.50, New Orleans locals could see Little Richard, Ruth Brown, The Clovers, The Cadillacs, The Turbans, and Little Willie John at the Field House (on Freret Street, where the Loyola University Sports Complex now sits). 6,500 people, an electrically-charged atmosphere and some of the country’s most talented stars. It passed far less violently than in other cities, some of which banned rock and roll concerts for a while. New Orleans took a different approach to suppressing the music: they quickly weaponized segregation and anti-integration laws (something Louis Armstrong took particular umbrage to), a stark reminder of how dangerous and revolutionary early rhythm and blues was to the status quo.
The Allman Brothers Band, The Warehouse (December 31, 1972)
A marathon New Year's Eve performance that was broadcast live on nationwide radio. The Allmans were essentially the house band of The Warehouse at this point, but this gig was considered a major milestone in the band's history. It was their first official performance featuring the new lineup following a period of immense tragedy (bassist Berry Oakley had died, just a year after guitarist Duane Allman had also passed). The band played a ferocious, 17-song set, turning it into a triumphant, hours-long jam session that came to define Southern Rock, and is considered to be a rebirth for the band.
THE MOST FAMOUS NEW ORLEANS GIG THAT NEVER HAPPENED
Led Zeppelin, Louisiana Superdome (July 30, 1977 — Cancelled)
This massive, sold-out arena show was supposed to cap off the band's 1977 North American tour. After a show in Oakland, Led Zeppelin flew to New Orleans on their private plane (called Caesar's Chariot). They checked into the Maison Dupuy hotel in the French Quarter for a few days of relaxation before kicking off the final leg of their tour at the Superdome. On July 26th, Robert Plant received news that his five-year-old son, Karac, had suddenly died from a stomach virus. The tour was abruptly halted, and the band flew back to England. Although unknown at the time, it marked the final, tragic end of Led Zeppelin's touring career in the United States.
What's your favorite or most memorable New Orleans gig? Email us at [email protected] and if we get a few responses, we'll publish them next week.
From early drumming circles in Congo Square in the late 18th century, to the creation of jazz in rowdy Storyville bordellos, all the way to, say, Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. From open mic singer-songwriters playing to a man and his dog in your local dive bar to Superdome sell-outs, best estimates are that around 700-800 gigs PER WEEK take place across the city. Let’s say a conservative nine million concerts in 250 years. That’s a lot of live music any way you slice it.
Not all gigs are created equal, though, and some concerts have stayed in the imagination of New Orleans’ music lovers, spoken about with reverence, outrage, and outright love. Some sparked movements and traditions, and some are famous for other, more scandalous reasons. Here are some concerts that loom large in the annals of the city’s vast musical history, and at the end, one concert that’s famous because it didn’t take place at all. It’s not AT ALL a comprehensive list - email us and tell us which we’ve missed out, I’d love to hear about more.
In no particular order, then, the New Orleans* concerts that made history (*we’re allowing one in Baton Rouge):
Mahalia Jackson, Congo Square, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (1970)
This wasn’t really a ‘concert’ in the strictest sense, but it was a live performance within a new festival that created lasting history. In April 1970, 350 (!) people turned up to a new event called the ‘Louisiana Heritage Fair’ in Congo Square. On the bill were legendary names: Duke Ellington, Fats Domino, The Meters, and arguably the greatest Gospel singer of all time, Mahalia Jackson, who had returned to her hometown specifically to appear. Touring the venue, Ms. Jackson and Duke Ellington came upon the Eureka Brass Band, who were leading a crowd of second-line revelers through the grounds. George Wein, producer of the Festival, handed Ms. Jackson a microphone, and she spontaneously broke out into the spiritual standard ‘Just a Closer Walk with Thee’ to the band's syncopated street beat. The crowds went wild, and many musical historians agree that this is when the spirit of what we now call Jazz Fest was truly born.
The Rolling Stones, Louisiana Superdome (December 5, 1981)
The Stones' Tattoo You Tour was a beast. The North American leg alone took in 50 dates, all with an elaborate stage imagined by Japanese designer Kazuhide Yamazaki. The band played to 2.5 million people (at $16 a ticket!) and it was the highest-grossing tour of 1981. New Orleans was the highlight, though. Drawing 87,500 fans, this Superdome show broke the world record for the largest attendance at an indoor concert, a record that lasted for 33 years (country legend George Strait broke the record in Texas in 2014, but the Stones still hold the Superdome record). Local legends The Neville Brothers opened and to celebrate, the Stones rented out a huge riverboat for a late-night party catered by Chef Paul Prudhomme.
Louis Armstrong's last New Orleans concert, New Orleans Municipal Auditorium (1968)
Armstrong's final performance in his hometown of New Orleans took place on May 18, 1968, at the Municipal Auditorium during an event called ‘Jezzfest '68’, a precursor to Jazz Fest, which he never played*. Satchmo had left for Chicago in 1922 to join King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. He’d been back in 1931 and 1942 (this concert honored the members of New Orleans' first all-Black Navy band before they shipped out to serve in World War II). In ‘68, he could still draw crowds, especially in New Orleans. The 67-year-old trumpeter played with his quintet in front of 5,000 people: “There's always a jumpin' audience in my home town," he told them. The venue was only a few blocks from where Armstrong was born into poverty. He used these homecoming gigs to connect with local youth institutions, including the Milne Boys Home, successor to the Colored Waif's Home where he first learned the cornet. Returning as a global icon shortly before his passing, this triumphant performance was deeply emotional and a politically-charged milestone for the city.
(*there was a major tribute titled "A Salute to Louis Armstrong" held during the second Jazz Fest in 1971)
Queen, Municipal Auditorium (October 31, 1978)
A notorious, high-energy stop on Queen's 1978 ‘Jazz’ tour. The concert itself was typically bombastic and showy, but it was immortalized by the now-legendary Halloween aftershow party held at the Fairmont Hotel (now The Roosevelt). This shindig is widely celebrated as one of the most debauched parties in rock history, and it’s up against some stiff competition as you might imagine. The record label and band spared no expense ($200,000, or just over $1million in today’s money): featured party acts included fire-eaters, drag queens, a man covered entirely in cold cuts, and a selection of hastily-assembled “French Quarter freaks” carrying trays of illicit substances for guests. Oh, to have been in that clean-up crew.
The Grateful Dead and Fleetwood Mac, The Warehouse (January 30th–31st, 1970)
How to make a splash when you’re opening a new venue? Book two of the world’s biggest and most debauched bands, of course. Powder enjoyers Fleetwood Mac opened for acid connoisseurs The Grateful Dead at The Warehouse (1820 Tchoupitoulas Street), a place that became the stuff of legends right from the get-go. Following the first night's performance, NOPD raided the bands’ hotel rooms and arrested 19 people including band members and crew for drug possession. The legal scramble birthed a benefit concert called "Bread for the Dead" (which Fleetwood Mac stayed on to also play at), the entire ordeal immortalized in their anthem "Truckin'" with the famous line: "Busted, down on Bourbon Street / Set up, like a bowling pin”.
The Sex Pistols, Kingfish Club, Baton Rouge (January 9, 1978)
This was a chaotic stop just outside the city line during the band's infamous, doomed 12-day U.S. tour. Seeking maximum controversy and press, the Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren deliberately booked the British punks in conservative Southern country bars rather than standard rock clubs. The Kingfish Club was a 1,000-capacity venue built inside an old grocery store and it was the fourth stop on a turbulent seven-date American tour, sandwiched between San Antonio and Dallas. The crowd featured local punks, curious onlookers, and journalists, though members of the band were reportedly exhausted and listless from “life on the road” - possibly a euphemism given the small number of dates. Apparently the gig was a blur of spitting, out-of-tune guitars, and mutual hostility between the band and locals, so likely considered a success by the spikey Brits.
The Doors, The Warehouse (December 12, 1970)
This was really just a pretty standard winter tour stop for the iconic psychedelic rock group. An early version of the band Kansas opened for them, joining The Doors on stage for "Light My Fire". During The Doors main set, though, a visibly exhausted Jim Morrison forgot lyrics, refused to sing, rambled on about philosophy and life and death, and then famously slammed his microphone stand into the stage until the wood splintered. Eventually, Morrisson sat down on the drum riser, refused to finish the show, and walked off stage. The band cancelled all remaining live dates. Morrisson left for Paris shortly afterwards, where he passed away seven months later in July 1971, making New Orleans his last ever live appearance with the band.
Fats Domino, Loyola Field House (1956)
Another local hero, Domino had been causing mayhem as he toured. This wasn’t anything particularly controversial that he himself was doing, but the emergent styles of both rhythm and blues and rock n’ roll were being demonized by white conservatives. Riots had broken out elsewhere between gig goers and protestors, the most infamous of which was at Palomar Theater in San Jose. For $2.50, New Orleans locals could see Little Richard, Ruth Brown, The Clovers, The Cadillacs, The Turbans, and Little Willie John at the Field House (on Freret Street, where the Loyola University Sports Complex now sits). 6,500 people, an electrically-charged atmosphere and some of the country’s most talented stars. It passed far less violently than in other cities, some of which banned rock and roll concerts for a while. New Orleans took a different approach to suppressing the music: they quickly weaponized segregation and anti-integration laws (something Louis Armstrong took particular umbrage to), a stark reminder of how dangerous and revolutionary early rhythm and blues was to the status quo.
The Allman Brothers Band, The Warehouse (December 31, 1972)
A marathon New Year's Eve performance that was broadcast live on nationwide radio. The Allmans were essentially the house band of The Warehouse at this point, but this gig was considered a major milestone in the band's history. It was their first official performance featuring the new lineup following a period of immense tragedy (bassist Berry Oakley had died, just a year after guitarist Duane Allman had also passed). The band played a ferocious, 17-song set, turning it into a triumphant, hours-long jam session that came to define Southern Rock, and is considered to be a rebirth for the band.
THE MOST FAMOUS NEW ORLEANS GIG THAT NEVER HAPPENED
Led Zeppelin, Louisiana Superdome (July 30, 1977 — Cancelled)
This massive, sold-out arena show was supposed to cap off the band's 1977 North American tour. After a show in Oakland, Led Zeppelin flew to New Orleans on their private plane (called Caesar's Chariot). They checked into the Maison Dupuy hotel in the French Quarter for a few days of relaxation before kicking off the final leg of their tour at the Superdome. On July 26th, Robert Plant received news that his five-year-old son, Karac, had suddenly died from a stomach virus. The tour was abruptly halted, and the band flew back to England. Although unknown at the time, it marked the final, tragic end of Led Zeppelin's touring career in the United States.
What's your favorite or most memorable New Orleans gig? Email us at [email protected] and if we get a few responses, we'll publish them next week.
