Daze Between New Orleans returned to Faubourg Brewery on Wednesday to round out its two-day 2024 festival with more than 3,000 fans in attendance. With a guest-filled performance by Gov’t Mule, additional sets by The Iceman Special, Karina Rykman, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Galactic featuring Jelly Joseph, and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, and some of the best weather one can hope for on a spring day in the Big Easy, Daze Between New Orleans’ final day was packed with the kind of highlights that reliably keep Fest-ers in town—and in the highest of spirits—throughout Jazz Fest‘s midweek Fair Grounds pause.

The day got started on the Jerry Garcia Wellness Stage with The Iceman Special, the NOLA rock quartet that has become a local fan favorite thanks to its potent mix of driving blues-rock, reggae, and swampy, bayou musical heritage. Charismatic bassist and bandleader Karina Rykman, fresh off a bizarre saga that had one of pop music’s biggest fanbases convinced she was Beyoncé ahead of her “Backwoods Barbie” DJ set at last weekend’s StageCoach Music Festival, opened the day’s lineup with her namesake psych-rock power trio on the main Daze Between Stage. Late in the energetic performance, Rykman winked at last week’s craziness during her band intros: After shouting out her guitarist, Adam November, and drummer, Chris Corsico, Rykman quipped, “…and my name’s Beyoncé, thank you so much!”

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country arrived at Daze Between on a hot streak after what has already been a busy year of sold-out shows around the country (this marked gig #61 for DDCC in 2024). The talented Nashville guitarist/singer and his band—featuring bassist Will “Mustang” McGee, keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Nathan “Sugar Legg” Aronowitz, and drummer Will Clark—captivated a busy afternoon crowd at the Jerry Garcia Wellness Stage with an explosive performance featuring a particularly meaty improv expedition on “Sugar Leg Rag”. This wouldn’t be the last Daze Between would see of Donato, but it’s worth it here to note that talented bandleader aside, Cosmic Country is a live outfit to be reckoned with.

 

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New Orleans funk institution Galactic, which normally takes a few instrumental tunes before welcoming featured vocalist Jelly Joseph, kicked off its set on the Daze Between Stage with Jelly onstage and in full hype-woman mode, riffing about the NOLA afternoon humidity (“Chocolate melts, honey”) and keeping the crowd engaged with endearing banter as she escorted the band through a set of fan-favorites and staple live covers. Galactic’s set, as usual for this band, was a master class on merging funk, soul, and energy with powerful percussion (thanks to one of the kings of Jazz Fest, Stanton Moore), percolating horns, and dance floor-moving bass lines. The set closer, an all-out assault on “Nobody’s Fault But Mine”, was a funky call to arms that resulted in riotous cheers and elated hands raised on the scenic Faubourg concert field.

 

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Karl Denson brought his top notch band, the Tiny Universe, to the Jerry Garcia Wellness stage as the sun mercifully began to set over the horizon. The stalwart saxophone wizard took the audience on a soulful rollercoaster ride through sweet lows and hair-raising highs. Danielle Barker, the soulful new vocalist for the Tiny Universe, gave Karl a boost throughout the set, adding a new sheen to this long-running but often-rotating unit. Denson remains one of the finest sax players in the world, a player with unmatched talents and stage presence. There’s a reason why The Rolling Stones added him to their touring band a decade ago, and those skills have only improved as the years go by.

Related: Warren Haynes Breaks Down His History With Gov’t Mule’s Daze Between New Orleans Guests [Photos/Videos]

As daytime shifted into evening, Gov’t Mule took over the main stage for its festival-closing performance. Over the course of two stellar sets, Warren Haynes (guitar, vocals), Matt Abts (drums), Danny Louis (keys, trombone), and Kevin Scott (bass) were joined by a parade of special guests for a performance that none in attendance will soon forget. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Chuck Leavell, Daniel Donato, John Scofield, Ivan Neville, Grace Potter, Duane Betts, and Karl Denson all sat in on songs ranging from beloved originals to old collaborative material to a slew of eclectic covers (including a nod to Thursday’s Rolling Stones gig at Jazz Fest by way of a moving “Wild Horses” cover featuring Potter, Donato, and Stones M.D. Leavell)—the sort of set you can only hope to experience in New Orleans during the magical stretch of time known as Jazz Fest. For a detailed setlist and recap of the guest-filled Gov’t Mule set at Daze Between New Orleans 2024, head here.

Gov’t Mule – Daze Between New Orleans – Preview – 5/1/24
 

While Faubourg Brewery, the home of Daze Between New Orleans for the last three years, is set to close its doors, festival co-producer Paul Levine confirmed to the crowd when he introduced Mule’s encore that the festival will return next year. It may look a little different in 2025, but after three years of unforgettable “Daze Between” memories, it’s safe to say that this event will be around for the long haul. Happy weekend two, everyone. We’ll see you out there.

Below, view photos from the second and final day of Daze Between New Orleans 2024 via photographer Nick Langlois. Revisit our coverage of day one here.

As we move past the “Daze Between” and into New Orleans Jazz Fest weekend two, the Live For Live Music/GMP Live team has plenty more in store in the Big Easy as part of the 2024 Fest by Nite series. Upcoming events include: