NOLA Set For O2 Return

Kilimanjaro chief Stuart Galbraith says the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival he promoted at the O2 was such a success that it will be back in 2009.

AEG Live, which co-produces the festival in New Orleans in cahoots with Quint Davis, also owns a major share of Kilimanjaro.

More than 80,000 turned up for the free event Oct. 24-25, which had a bill including Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Kermit Ruffins, Buckwheat Zydeco, Marcia Ball, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and John Mooney & Bluesiana.

The acts were was split across three stages in the venue’s piazza, but next year Galbraith intends to incorporate the main 20,000-seat arena and the smaller IndigO2.

There will be a charge to enter either venue, where the main acts will play, but once again there will be free entrance to the events that are staged in the piazza.

This year, the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism put up US$75,000 to sponsor the festival’s main music stage.

The event was billed as Festival New Orleans and staged to coincide with the National Football League game between the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers at Wembley Stadium.

Other tours in Kilimanjaro’s diary include Metallica, Slipknot, Simply Red, Grace Jones and Tracy Chapman.