Bruce Springsteen Schedules New Orleans Jazz Festival Performance

Thanks to a last minute bit of booking magic, Bruce Springsteen will return this year to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on April 29 after making his Jazz Fest debut in 2006. Joining him for the first time will be the members of the E Street Band.

Springsteen’s booking required festival organizers to do some juggling in order to make his appearance possible. When they found out that Springsteen was interested in a Jazz Fest slot in early January, they faced a series of challenges as the lineup – including all available headlining slots – had already been scheduled and announced.

Producer Quint Davis was up for the challenge at hand and as he explained, “doing the impossible is something we never shy away from.”

The “impossible” included finding a time slot for Springsteen and the necessary funds to facilitate his appearance. The three hour length of Springsteen’s typical performance time was also a factor.

"This festival is already booked and programmed hour by hour, and here's someone who plays closer to three hours than two," he says. "And everything has to fit just right."

John Mayer, Sunday night’s previously scheduled headliner agreed to perform earlier in the day to make room for Springsteen and the E Street Band. Davis was also able to convince the Jazz Fest board to authorize the dollars for Springsteen and what seemed complicated was now done – they had their man.

Jazz Fest history suggests that all of the juggling will be well worth the effort. Springsteen’s 2006 performance with the Seeger Sessions band was in Davis’s words, a “cathartic” experience.

"What he did that day was transformative, one of the transcendent moments in Jazz Fest history. He put away his Boss hat and was Right Reverend Springsteen, ministering to the crowd."

The Jazz Fest performance is part of Springsteen’s recently announced U.S. tour dates in support of his forthcoming studio album ‘Wrecking Ball.’