Boxoffice Insider: Jazz On The Road; Wynton Marsalis & Orchestra Set For Fall Tour

Ever since the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis was formed in 1988, the longtime resident ensemble at the New York City performing arts complex has also been a stalwart touring entity, regularly appearing in concert venues all around the world.

Although forced to perform virtually during the pandemic interruption, artist director and trumpeter Marsalis and the orchestra were able to resume in-person performances in the latter half of 2021. They hit the road at the beginning of this year with a full schedule of booked concert dates and will be back on the road again in North America just a month from now with a fall tour planned through late October.

First, however, they will appear at home in New York with a performance in Central Park on Aug. 31, part of the city’s SummerStage concert series. Last year, they kicked off the long-running free outdoor concert series with a performance in mid-June.

Outdoor settings will also open the upcoming tour as the first three concerts on the schedule will be staged in open-air venues, both in Southern California. First up will be a Sept. 4 performance at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, the year-old venue on Embarcadero Marina Park near downtown San Diego that opened just last August. Then, the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles will host the orchestra on the 7th and 8th, marking their return to the historic concert venue for the first time in four years. The ensemble is also on record with performances at the L.A. amphitheater three times prior to 2018, according to Pollstar’s box-office archives, with summer concerts in 2008, 2011 and 2015.

The U.S. tour dates will continue through Oct. 22 before the group heads to Mexico for performances in Guadalajara and Mexico City. Then, for the remainder of 2022, they will return to Lincoln Center for concerts in November and December.

Earlier this year, seven tour stops from February through April were reported, beginning with a two-show engagement at Jaqua Concert Hall in Eugene, Ore., Feb. 7-8. Attendance at the venue totaled 1,238. Then, Seattle’s Paramount Theatre welcomed a crowd of 1,656 for Marsalis and the orchestra for a concert on Feb. 10.

Although a smaller venue with 290 tickets offered for a performance on Feb. 12, Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum, Idaho, moved 97% of them for its scheduled show. Then the following evening, Boise, Idaho’s Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts logged 1,387 sold tickets.

A sold-out concert at The Palladium in
Carmel, Ind., was the final February performance reported, with a ticket count of 1,361 on the 27th. A March 22 concert at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center was the ensemble’s only event reported that month. The Music City venue drew 1,603 attendees.

Finally, Santander Performing Arts Center in Reading, Pa., hosted the group on April 1 for the opening night celebration of the 31st edition of the city’s Berks Jazz Fest, first staged in 1991. With a total gross from the eight reported performances in 2022 topping $591,000 for a combined ticket count of 8,258, per show averages totaled 1,032 in attendance for a gross average of $73,945.

Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra have box-office records in the archives dating back to September 1992, beginning with a show at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center in Vienna, Va., attended by 3,916 fans. During that almost 30-year span, their reported show count at North American venues is 207. Grosses total $16.4 million from an overall ticket total of 329,145.