Though we’re still in the dog days of summer, it’s never too early to start thinking about Halloween. Especially if you’re planning on traveling, now might be the time to start making some plans. This year, the stars will align above New Orleans for a historic Halloween as moe. and The Infamous Stringdusters team up for a two-night run at The Joy Theater on October 31st and November 1st [get tickets].
The jam veterans of moe. are no strangers to the Crescent City, sporting an illustrious resume of New Orleans appearances dating back to at least 1997, per Phantasy Tour. Though moe. has yet to spend a Halloween in NOLA, the band has still had some pretty wild visits to the musical metropolis.
There’s the May 4th, 2001 show from Tipitina’s that got busted up by New Orleans’ finest at about 6 a.m. (on the band’s third visit to the uptown hotspot), a couple guest-filled appearances that occurred exactly one year apart on May 2nd (2002 with Gov’t Mule and Warren Haynes and 2003 with Umphreys McGee), and a pair of funky, Turkuaz-assisted 2017 shows to choose from in the band’s long and storied New Orleans history.
Skipping ahead to contemporary times, recently installed keyboardist Nate Wilson has already made a memorable trip to NOLA with moe.’s turn topping the lineup at Daze Between where the band got some extra oomph from the Dumpstaphunk horns before darting across town to get some extra umph from members of Umphrey’s McGee for a late-night superjam that recalled memories of Summer Camp Music Festival.
The Infamous Stringdusters, on the other hand, visited New Orleans for the first time in 2024, supporting NOLA native Anders Osborne at House of Blues during the first weekend of Jazz Fest. Dobroist Andy Falco expressed his deep appreciation for the city and its rich musical heritage, noting, “Before I got into bluegrass, I played blues and R&B and got way into New Orleans-style music. The first music festival I traveled to was Jazz Fest in NOLA back when tickets were something like $12/day for non-locals.” (For reference, Jazz Fest tickets cost over $100 in 2025.) The Halloween run will mark the Stringdusters’ New Orleans headlining debut, and there’s no doubt the Grammy-winning bluegrass outfit will rise to the occasion.
The Infamous Stringdusters and moe. will have plenty of New Orleans history to borrow from the famed Joy Theater. First opened in 1947 as a movie theater, the past decade and a half have seen The Joy transformed into one of downtown New Orleans’ flagship venues, particularly during Jazz Fest. Recent years have seen the Joy Theater host memorable shows from Phil Lesh & Friends, Les Claypool’s Bastard Jazz, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, STS9, Lettuce, Phish’s Mike Gordon, and many more. This year’s Halloween run of cross-genre jams will add to the illustrious histories of The Infamous Stringdusters, moe., and The Joy Theater alike.
For fans seeking a destination Halloween experience that combines top-tier live music with the magic of New Orleans, moe. and The Infamous Stringdusters offer a compelling reason to make the trip.
With this powerhouse pairing of jam scene staples and the promise of Halloween hijinks in the Big Easy, these shows are sure to go down as an unforgettable chapter in both bands’ New Orleans history. Tickets for the two-night Halloween run are on sale now.