After Daze Between New Orleans day one established the next chapter in the festival’s growing tradition, the midweek celebration between Jazz Fest weekends closed on Wednesday with copious salutes to those who came before. For the final day of the “days between,” local and national legends came together to celebrate the Allman Brothers Band, The Meters, and The Headhunters.

Returning once more to the ornate Mahalia Jackson Theatre in the French Quarter, Daze Between New Orleans 2025 came back online late Wednesday afternoon with The Headhunters. This modern-day iteration of the band Herbie Hancock launched in 1973 to record his groundbreaking album Head Hunters and a string of others was aided at Daze by guitarist Eric Krasno and djembefola Weedie Braimah. Helmed by original members Mike Clark (drums) and Bill Summers (percussion), The Headhunters dove into 50+ years of jazz-fusion history and traced the evolution New Orleans’ native art form. When you find yourself forgetting Krasno is even in the band you know it’s a tight group, with 78-year-old Clark leading the herd with the virility of a man a fraction his age. Clark was one of many musicians on the Mahalia stage on Wednesday to show that some just get better with age.

Surviving Meters members George Porter Jr. and Leo Nocentelli proved as such with a rare reunion for their GeoLeo set. Backed by Galactic drummer Stanton Moore and Dumpstaphunk keyboardist Ivan Neville (nephew of original Meters keyboardist Art Neville), the superjam brought The Meters’ music to life with full-bodied versions of “Fire on the Bayou”, “Hey Pocky-Way”, “Just Kissed My Baby”, “Chicken Strut”, and many more. Just like New Orleans cuisine, the power of the Meters’ music lies in its simplicity. Sure, Leo may throw in some fancy licks and spices here and there, but the core ingredients are basic, delivered with such intention and soul. Between songs, the two funk icons traded grandad jokes and stories from the old days, with Porter at one point introducing the backstory behind a song before stopping midway through, throwing up his hands as if to say “you already know it,” and breaking into the iconic instrumental “Cissy Strut”. Leo and George were well aware of their impact on all those who followed, but just in case they forgot, Stanton and Ivan were there to gush about what an honor it was to flank two members of The Meters.

GeoLeo (George Porter Jr., Leo Nocentelli, Stanton Moore, Ivan Neville) — “Fire On The Bayou” — 4/30/25

[Video: Fuzzy Dunlop]

GeoLeo (George Porter Jr., Leo Nocentelli, Stanton Moore, Ivan Neville) — “Just Kissed My Baby” — 4/30/25

[Video: Lowell McElroy Jr]

GeoLeo (George Porter Jr., Leo Nocentelli, Stanton Moore, Ivan Neville) — “Ain’t No Use” — 4/30/25

[Video: Lowell McElroy Jr]

For the final act of Daze Between 2025, the “legends by legends” format was tweaked a bit with the Allman Betts Band New Orleans Family Revival. Though the star-fueled extension of the Allman Betts Band didn’t include any Allman Brothers Band members, it was led by sons of co-founders Devon Allman and Duane Betts. These Southern rock heirs welcomed an impressive roster of friends and admirers including Porter, Neville, Krasno, G. Love, Anders Osborne, Sierra Green, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band horn section. Together, they mined the Allman’s legacy with “Statesboro Blues”, “Southbound”, “Midnight Rider”, and more in the first set, plus Allman Betts Band originals “Wash in Cm7”, “Magnolia Road”, and “King Crawler”. Highlights of the first set included huge tellings of jam vehicles “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” and “Dreams” with the ever-present Eric Krasno on guitar adding to the symphony of strings.

The Allman Betts Band — “Wash In Cm7”, “Magnolia Road” [Pro-Shot] — 4/30/25

The Allman Betts Band – “Dreams” [Pro-Shot] – 4/30/25
 

Things got even deeper in the festival’s final set, with bluesy readings of “Don’t Want You No More” and “It’s Not My Cross to Bear” adding further flavors to Daze Between’s delicious musical pot. Sierra Green helped out on a song or two before the set came to a close with “Jessica”. As many in the crowd readied to hit the road for another late night of Jazz Fest adventures, the Allman Betts Band sent them off with the appropriate “Ramblin’ Man” to cap off the fourth-annual Daze Between New Orleans festival.

Check out some photos from Daze Between 2025 by Jay Strausser and Dave Vann and restream the whole show on nugs. Daze Between is part of Live For Live Music‘s Fest by Nite series of shows in New Orleans during Jazz Fest. Find the full event calendar here.