Jon Batiste on Tuesday brought a crew of talented friends, a stack tracks from his new BIG MONEY LP (out today), and more than a dash of vibrant New Orleans spirit to New York, NY’s Capitol One City Parks SummerStage in Central Park for a pop-up show billed as “The Greatest Show On Earth.”
The tagline wasn’t the only element Batiste borrowed from P.T. Barnum in the Big Apple. Dressed in a lavish ringleader ensemble, the multiple Grammy Award-winner and wide-eyed musical amoeba led a robust house band and a steady stream of guests—from a juggler and other circus performers to members of the recently departed Eddie Palmieri‘s salsa orchestra to a large cohort of dancers of various shapes, sizes, genders, races, ages, and styles—through an evening of joyous expression and collaboration he called a “Circus of Love.”
That phrase, “Circus of Love,” which Batiste mentioned onstage and later reiterated online, could just as easily describe the singular niche he has carved for himself in the music world: You may know Jon Batiste from his tenure as the bandleader on The Late Show, or his work on the Oscar-winning score for 2020’s Soul, or his Album of the Year Grammy Award-winning unicorn of a pop-crossover album, 2021’s We Are, or his stylistically sprawling 2023 follow-up, World Music Radio, or his NOLA-style reimagining of the works of a classical music giant, 2025’s Beethoven Blues. Whatever form a given Jon Batiste project takes, though, it surely carries the Batiste trademark—a certain sense of exuberance, inclusivity, compassion, wonder, celebration… and, of course, New Orleans swagger. Jon Batiste’s circus has many distinct entranceways, but once you’re inside, it’s all love. Step right up… and please, don’t forget to dance.
In Central Park, Batiste’s presence was magnetic called the crowd’s attention to his circus’ various rings. The opening song, We Are‘s “FREEDOM”, was both a wink at the past and an invitation to get loose coupled with winding group choreography. (“When I move my body just like this, I don’t know why but I feel like freedom.”)
Next came a run of BIG MONEY debuts: “PETRICHOR”, a chant-along lament about environmental irresponsibility that melds gospel, drum line, and country roots sensibilities; “PINNACLE”, a proto-rock ‘n roll stomp that draws simultaneously from chitlin circuit sounds and contemporary hip-hop bravado; and the title track, “BIG MONEY”, which conveys sage maternal wisdom (“Boy, don’t you be a dummy”) on what’s truly important in life by way of a plucky sing-along and TikTok-ready choreography. Each, in its own way, underscored Batiste’s mission on the new album: an “exploration of the real currency of life as we know it today,” a melding of American styles to create “sounds of jubilee and diasporic expression.”
Jon Batiste – BIG MONEY – Full Album
As he went, Batiste, a world-class concert pianist who will perform alongside the Philadelphia Orchestra on Friday night, rarely touched his piano. Instead, he sang, danced, signed a fan’s poster from the stage, jumped behind the drums for a percussion jam, passed the spotlight to the various performers onstage, and buzzed around the explosion of color and and sound and joy going on around him.
That’s not to say Jon Batiste’s unique abilities on 88 keys didn’t get their moment in the center ring. Midway through the night, a solo piano cover medley showcased the multitudes contained within this unique artist just as convincingly as his eclectic new LP. Under a lone spotlight, Batiste meandered through homages to gospel-soul icon Ray Charles (“Night Time is the Right Time”), funk-rock chameleon Prince (“How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore”), New Orleans rock ‘n roll forefather Fats Domino (“Blueberry Hill”), ubiquitous ’80s rockers Journey (“Don’t Stop Believin’), legendary songwriter Leonard Cohen (“Hallelujah”) and, simultaneously, late rapper Tupac Shakur and revered singer-songwriter/pianist Bruce Hornsby (“Changes”, the ’90s hip-hop hit that interpolates Hornsby’s “The Way it Is”). Each one received a bit of the moving sincerity, world-class, and open-armed artistry that has made Jon Batiste an unlikely mainstream star.
Central Park was in the palm of Jon’s hands as he interjected an island dancehall party with “Be Who You Are”, welcomed an intergenerational duo of tap dancers to accompany him on “KINDERGARTEN”, dabbled in Beethoven Blues with a “Für Elise – Batiste” tangent inside his own gloomy “CRY”, and channeled Bill Withers with a bit of “Ain’t No Sunshine” en route to weighty World Music Radio ballad “Butterfly”.
As the last of the sun slipped from the sky, Batiste reached way back in his history to the first mentor who brought him to New York City two decades ago, revered Puerto Rican-American composer Eddie Palmieri, who passed away at 88 years old earlier this month. With help from Louis Fouché and several members of Palmieri’s salsa orchestra, final act of Batiste’s Central Park Circus of Love was a burst of Latin big band jazz.
Well, not the final final act: With the Palmieri orchestra still in tow, Batiste rounded out the set on an MPC for “Worship”, his electronic affirmation from World Music Radio (“We are born the same”), then cut the cables, and led the ensemble in a second line off the stage, out of the SummerStage venue, and down to Central Park’s famed Naumburg Bandshell for a bit of New Orleans-trained bonus revelry.
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“We brought the Circus Of Love,” Batiste wrote of the night in a post the following day. “Under this tent is revival and joy. … It was also a night of being in solidarity with those who are being persecuted. In a time when persecution is at highest degree all around the world, let us use the divine power of the gift of music to show how we can all be together in harmony. We also were honored to be able to celebrate the life and legacy of the great Eddie Palmieri with his family and his mentees.
“I’m a boy from New Orleans who fell in love with all music,” he went on. “The blending of the music represents our shared humanity. We all gathered in New York City—a global city that is representative of the whole world. We all make up the American multi racial democracy. Last night New York was a symbol to teach the world how we can be together and how this city, when at its best, is a beacon for humanity.”
Batiste will support BIG MONEY with a national headlining run, The Big Money Tour: Jon Batiste Plays America, kicking off August 27th in Kansas City, MO. Highlights of the 30+ date run include stops at Morrison, CO’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre (September 4th) and Nashville, TN’s Grand Ole Opry House (10/1) and a co-headlining date with Diana Ross at The Muny in St. Louis, MO (8/28). Find a list of upcoming Jon Batiste Big Money Tour dates and ticketing details here.
Below, view the setlist and a selection of photos and videos from the Jon Batiste & Friends performance at Capitol One City Parks SummerStage in Central Park. Listen to BIG MONEY, the new album from Jon Batiste, on your preferred platform here.
Setlist: Jon Batiste & Friends | Capitol One City Parks SummerStage in Central Park | New York, NY | 8/19/25
Set: FREEDOM, PETRICHOR*, PINNACLE*, BIG MONEY, I NEED YOU, Solo Piano Medley [1], Be Who You Are, KINDERGARTEN, FUR ELISE-BATISTE, CRY [2], Butterfly, Vámonos Pa’l Monte (Eddie Palmieri) [3], Azúcar (Eddie Palmieri) [3], WORSHIP [4], LOVERIOT (Second Line) [4] [5]
[1] Included snippets of “Night Time is the Right Time” (Ray Charles), “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore” (Prince), “Blueberry Hill” (Fats Domino), “Don’t Stop Believin'” (Journey), “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen), “Changes” (Tupac Shakur/Bruce Hornsby).
[2] Included snippet of “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” (Bill Withers).
[3] Tribute to the late Eddie Palmieri. Led by Louis Fouché featuring members of the Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra.
[4] Featuring members of Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra.
[5] Jon Batiste led the band in a second line parade out of the SummerStage in Central Park venue and down to the park’s Naumburg Bandshell, where they continued to perform for several more minutes.
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