The Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival has announced its lineup for its main stage performances which will be held on the Natchitoches downtown riverbank on May 9 and 10, 2025.
The festival kicks off Friday at 7 p.m. with Tribute to Legends Night. Bad Medicine, a Bon Jovi tribute takes the stage at 7 p.m. followed by Lover – An Era’s Tour Experience, a tribute to Taylor Swift. Saturday will include a full day of music on the stage beginning at 1 p.m. and ending at 10:15 p.m. after the performance of headliner and country music superstar Gretchen Wilson.
She will be immediately proceeded on stage by Memphis based funk pioneers The BAR-KAYS.
During the day Saturday, there will also be music on two side stages with nearly 15 bands performing.
Advanced tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at http://www.natchjazzfest.com. The special Valentine’s Day discounted pre-sale is ongoing through Friday, Feb. 14. Prices will increase starting Saturday, Feb. 15, so take advantage of the current discounts before they expire.
2025 Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival Main Stage Lineup
1:00-2:15 – Gerard Delafose and the Zydeco Gators
Gerard is the Grammy nominated artist from one of south Louisiana’s legendary zydeco music families. He and his Zydeco Gators are widely known for their entertaining high energy show full of a mixture of traditional and modern zydeco music. A great way to start the day on the main stage! Better bring your dancing shoes!
2:35-3:50 – Sonny Gullage and the Blues Groovers
The blues are alive and they live in this 25 year old New Orleans-based musician and his smokin’ band of NOLA music veterans the Blues Groovers. Sonny has recently been nominated for “The Best Emerging Blues Artist” award and the recording artists’ shows are legendary across the country and even into Canada for their super high energy and creative cover songs along with some of their own original material. The blues and R&B never felt or sounded so good!
4:20-4:45 – Trini Triggs
It’s finally happening! We’ve finally convinced our festival MC and homegrown country music star and Louisiana Hall of Fame member Trini to give our fans what they’ve been clamoring for for years, a live performance of some of his big hits as a Curb Records recording artist. No one has more energy than Trini and we will all get to enjoy the songs that made him one of Nashville’s hottest recording stars in the ’90s.
5:15-6:30 – Johnny Earthquake and the Moondogs – “Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulers! – A
Tribute to the Music of Louisiana”
At last year’s festival this regional showband, which calls Natchitoches their home, celebrated their 3 0 anniversary by being inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. They decided to commemorate this honor by dedicating this year’s performance to the music and musicians of Louisiana. From Jerry Lee Lewis to Fats Domino to Irma Thomas, Better than Ezra, and much more, this talented and diverse group will take the audience on a musical journey from New Orleans to Shreveport and all points in.
7-8:30 – The BAR-KAYS
Vibrant costumes are just part of what’s in store for our audience these days at the performance by the funk and soul pioneers the BAR-KAYS. Spontaneity and excitement had been the trademark of the Memphis based group since its inception in the mid 1960’s. Today the BAR-KAYS have reloaded their high energy act and ready to guide whole new generations onto the dance floor with a reinvigorated group playing their string of platinum selling hits including “Shake Your Rump to the Funk,” “Too Hot to
Stop”, and many others from their career total of 29 albums including five gold and one platinum and with 40 singles releases and 20 top ten singles in albums.
9-10:15 – Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen made her country music debut in 2004 soared to the top of the Billboard country music charts with a Grammy award winning single “Redneck Woman” which began an anthem for females in the south and remains so to this day. Wilson’s success has garnered her a truckload of awards including 2004 ACM Female Vocalist of the Year and Best New Artist in 2005 CMA Top Female Vocalist, she has been nominated for over 10 Grammy awards winning in 2004 for Best Country Vocal Performance.
Her debut album “Here for the Party” was certified five times platinum and she has sold many millions of albums and records over her 20+ year career. Her high energy shows are legendary and she promises that in Natchitoches she will be “here for the party.”
Natchitoches Jazz/R&B Festival Main Stage Lineup (Friday, May 9, 2025) Tribute to Legends Night
7:00-8:30 – Bad Medicine – A Tribute to Bon Jovi
While it is sad that the original Bon Jovi band are no longer touring, audiences can still experience the excitement and feel of a Bon Jovi concert by seeing the Bad Medicine show. This group, out of Atlanta, Georgia, formed only a few months ago and is already recognized as one of the top tribute acts in the south drawing rave reviews wherever they play with their faithful renditions of Bon Jovi songs, including “Living on a Prayer,” “Wanted: Dead or Alive,” and many more.
9:00-10:30 – Lover: An Eras Tour Experience – Taylor Swift Tribute
So if you weren’t able to attend Taylor Swift’s record shattering Era’s Tour do not despair. The group Lover out of Dallas, Texas has put together a tribute to the world’s most popular artist and specifically to her Era’s Tour that has been amazing concert-goers across United States and even into Canada. This show will lovingly recreate many of Taylor’s best performances, complete with dancers and an audio-visual light show. This is not to be missed!
