The Voodoo Music + Arts Experience (formerly The Voodoo Music Experience), commonly referred to as Voodoo or Voodoo Fest, is a multi-day music and arts festival held in
City Park
An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...
in
.
The Voodoo Experience has hosted more than 2000 artists and over one million festival-goers during its existence. The festival has been twice nominated for
Pollstar's Music Festival of the Year. It was acquired by
Live Nation Entertainment in 2013 and is produced by
C3 Presents
C3 Presents is a concert promotion, event production and artist management company based out of Austin, Texas. C3 also produces several multi-day festivals including Austin City Limits Music Festival in Texas, Voodoo Music + Arts Experience in Ne ...
. Don Kelly, Voodoo's former General Counsel and COO, is Festival Director and oversees the event.
The Voodoo Experience is known for including national artists from all genres, such as
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots (also known by the initialism STP) is an American rock band from San Diego, California, that originally consisted of Scott Weiland (lead vocals), brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals), and Eric Kr ...
,
Foo Fighters,
Marilyn Manson,
Pearl Jam,
Metallica,
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commer ...
,
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
,
Eminem,
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...
,
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member ...
,
Tiësto
Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( ), is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted "the Greatest DJ of All Time" by '' Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, he was v ...
,
Nine Inch Nails,
KISS
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
,
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...
,
Modest Mouse,
Thirty Seconds to Mars
Thirty Seconds to Mars (commonly stylized as 30 Seconds to Mars) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of brothers Jared Leto (lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards) and Shannon Leto (drums, ...
,
Calvin Harris,
The Weeknd
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, romance, and ...
,
Deadmau5
Joel Thomas Zimmerman (born January 5, 1981), known professionally as Deadmau5 (stylized as deadmau5; pronounced "dead-mouse"), is a Canadian electronic music producer and DJ. He mainly produces progressive house music, though he also produce ...
,
The Black Keys
The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their ...
,
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...
,
Green Day,
Snoop Dogg,
Duran Duran,
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree are an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. During an initial career spanning more than twenty years, they earned critical acclaim from critics and fellow musicians, developed a cult following, and became ...
,
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Ch ...
,
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance (commonly abbreviated to MCR or My Chem) is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist ...
,
50 Cent,
Cowboy Mouth
Cowboy Mouth is an American band based in New Orleans, Louisiana known for fusing alternative rock with album-oriented rock, roots rock, and jam band influences. Formed in 1992, the band saw early mainstream success in the 1990s, including th ...
and
311 311 may refer to:
* 311 (number), a natural number
* AD 311, a year of the Julian calendar, in the fourth century AD
* 311 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar
* 311 (band), an American band
** ''311'' (album), band 311's self-titled album
...
as well as local Louisiana musicians such as
The Original Meters,
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue,
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band,
Rebirth Brass Band
The Rebirth Brass Band is a New Orleans brass band. The group was founded in 1983 by Phillip "Tuba Phil" Frazier, his brother Keith Frazier, Kermit Ruffins,Skelly, RichardAllMusic Profile Retrieved 2013-02-9 and classmates from Joseph S. Cla ...
, and
Dr. John
Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B.
Active as a session musician from ...
.
History
Since its 1999 Halloween weekend debut, the annual event has become a Halloween tradition for music fans, both locally and others who travel from around the world. Throughout Voodoo’s -year run, more than one million festival-goers have gathered to see performances from about 2,000 artists. The event has also been twice nominated for Pollstar's Music Festival of the Year and in 2005, Voodoo founder Stephen Rehage and his team were presented with a key to the city, following the Voodoo 2005 post-Katrina event.
Creation and growth
![Moby at Voodoo 1999](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Moby_at_Voodoo_1999.jpg)
Voodoo was first held as a single day event on October 30, 1999, at
Tad Gormley Stadium
Tad Gormley Stadium (originally City Park Stadium) is a 26,500 seat multi-purpose outdoor stadium, located in City Park, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The stadium is home to the University of New Orleans Privateers men's and women's track and fiel ...
in City Park. Planned and executed by Stephen Rehage, CEO of Rehage Entertainment, the festival consisted of three stages and a mix of local and national acts including headliners
Wyclef Jean
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...
and
Moby.
As the U.S. festival market swelled, Voodoo continued its growth, increasing both the festival site and musically expanding with the addition of stages and performers.
![Eminem at Voodoo 2000](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Eminem_at_Voodoo_2000.jpg)
During its second year in 2000, Voodoo became a two-day event, and garnered international attention with a headlining performance from Eminem in support of his debut album
The Slim Shady LP
''The Slim Shady LP'' is the second studio album and major label debut by American rapper Eminem. It was released on February 23, 1999, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Recorded in Ferndale, Michigan following Eminem's recruitm ...
. In 2007, Voodoo expanded to a three-day event.
Hurricane Katrina
![Nine Inch Nails at Voodoo 2005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Nine_Inch_Nails_at_Voodoo_2005.jpg)
Originally scheduled for Halloween Weekend in New Orleans’ City Park, the Voodoo Music Experience was displaced by the tragedy of
Hurricane Katrina. While plans were in full swing to move forward with a relocation to
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
, Voodoo founder Stephen Rehage met with community leaders in New Orleans about the opportunity to move the event back home for one of its two days—as a tribute event for relief workers. Festival organizers and Memphis representatives alike agreed this was an amazing opportunity to increase the scope of the event.
New Orleans event
On October 29, 2005, an invitation-only celebration (previous ticket holders exempt) for police, firefighters, National Guard, military and countless others who had aided in the recovery efforts of the city was staged at the Riverview "Butterfly" section of
Audubon Park in New Orleans, one of the few public spaces in the city not damaged in the recent
Federal levee failure disaster .
Nine Inch Nails,
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout mul ...
,
The Secret Machines
Secret Machines are an American alternative rock band, originally from Dallas, Texas, United States, before moving to New York City. The original lineup consisted of two brothers, Brandon (vocals, bass guitar and keyboards) and Benjamin Curtis ...
,
the New York Dolls
New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succ ...
, and
Kermit Ruffins
Kermit Ruffins (born December 19, 1964) is an American jazz trumpeter, singer, composer, and actor from New Orleans. He has been influenced by Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan and says that the highest note he can hit on trumpet is a high C. He ...
were among the artists who all came together in celebration of a city they love.
It marked the first major multi-musical performance in the two months since Hurricane Katrina’s effects were felt in the city.
Memphis event
Voodoo in Memphis included a fundraiser for victims of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in
AutoZone Park
AutoZone Park is a Minor League Baseball stadium located in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, and is home to the Memphis Redbirds of the International League and Memphis 901 FC of the USL Championship. The Redbirds are the Triple-A affiliate of Ma ...
.
2006–2015
The 2006 Voodoo Music Experience saw the debut of three distinct areas on six distinct stages within the festivals landscape: Le Ritual, Le Flambeau and Le Carnival. Each of these areas was designed to uniquely showcase different sides of the personality of the festival and its New Orleans home: "Le Flambeau" features music and sounds consistent with the style of The Big Easy; "Le Ritual" features more mainstream music; and finally "Le Carnival" features indie bands, burlesque and circus acts.
In 2007, Voodoo expanded to three days and broke all previous attendance records with an estimated 100,000+ fans in attendance.
In April 2013, the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience announced an initial 15 acts to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Voodoo. The initial 15 acts include Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Calvin Harris,
Bassnectar
Lorin Gabriel Ashton, better known under his stage name Bassnectar (born February 16, 1978), is an American DJ and record producer.
Biography
Ashton grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended Bellarmine College Preparatory. He initiall ...
,
Paramore,
Macklemore
Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; (formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper and songwriter. A native of Seattle, Washington, he has collaborated with producer Ryan Lewi ...
&
Ryan Lewis
Ryan Scott Lewis (born March 25, 1988) is an American record producer, DJ, videographer, photographer, graphic designer, music video director, rapper, and songwriter. Along with producing his own album, ''Instrumentals'', Lewis produced the alb ...
,
Afrojack
Nick Leonardus van de Wall (; born 9 September 1987), better known as Afrojack, is a Dutch DJ, music producer and remixer from Spijkenisse, South Holland. In 2007, he founded the record label Wall Recordings; his debut album '' Forget the Worl ...
,
Boys Noize
Alexander Ridha (born 22 August 1982), better known by his stage name Boys Noize, is a Berlin-based German-Iraqi electronic music record producer, songwriter, and DJ. It is similar to the name of Ridha's label, Boysnoize Records, which he esta ...
,
The Gaslight Anthem
The Gaslight Anthem is an American rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 2006. The band consists of Brian Fallon (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Alex Rosamilia (lead guitar, backing vocals), Alex Levine (bass guitar, backing vocals), ...
,
Big Gigantic
Big Gigantic are an American instrumental electronic hip hop and jazz musical duo based in Boulder, Colorado.
The band have played at a wide range of music festivals, including Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Lollapalooza, Ultra Musi ...
,
How To Destroy Angels,
Cults
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This s ...
,
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar), Dan Andriano (vocals, bass) and Derek Grant (drums, vocals).
Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Do ...
,
Desaparecidos
An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a State (polity), state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or po ...
and
Robert DeLong
Robert Charles Edward DeLong (born February 18, 1986) is an American electronic musician from Bothell, Washington and currently residing in Los Angeles, California. With a background in percussion and influences from a number of indie rock bands, ...
. The 15th anniversary Voodoo celebration also marked the debut of City Park’s Festival Grounds, a new permanent home for Voodoo. Home to Voodoo since its 1999 debut—with the exception of Voodoo 2005, which was displaced by the city’s hurricane damage—New Orleans’ 1,300-acre City Park is the region’s principal recreation site that attracts over seven million visitors each year.
In October 2013, a controlling stake in the festival was sold to
Live Nation Entertainment, amid growing financial issues. Rehage retained a 49% stake in the event, and became Live Nation's President of North American Festivals.
The final day of the 2015 edition was canceled due to inclement weather.
2016–2022
In 2016, operations for the festival were taken over by Live Nation subsidiary
C3 Presents
C3 Presents is a concert promotion, event production and artist management company based out of Austin, Texas. C3 also produces several multi-day festivals including Austin City Limits Music Festival in Texas, Voodoo Music + Arts Experience in Ne ...
, organizers of
Lollapalooza and the
Austin City Limits Music Festival
The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-base ...
, with Sig Greenebaum and Don Kelly promoted to co-directors in place of Rehage. With the new management, the festival underwent changes to its stage layout and infrastructure. Attendance peaked at around 150,000.
The 2019 festival was hampered by
Tropical Storm Olga The name Olga has been used for sixteen tropical cyclones worldwide: three in the Atlantic Ocean (where it replaced the name ''Opal''), ten in the Western Pacific Ocean, and three in the Australian region in Southern Hemisphere.
In the Atlantic:
* ...
, which brought extensive rain to the New Orleans area.
The 2020 festival was canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Although it initially announced plans to return in 2021, Voodoo announced in June 2021 that the festival had been cancelled and will not be held again until 2022, with no reasoning given. In June 2022, it was announced that the 2022 festival would not be held.
Line-ups
1999
The 1999 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held on October 31, 1999.
2000
The 2000 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 27–29, 2000.
2001
The 2001 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 26–28, 2001.
2002
The 2002 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 25–27, 2002.
2003
The 2003 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 31-November 1, 2003.
2004
The 2004 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 29–31, 2004.
2005
The 2005 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held on October 29–30, 2005 in
and
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
.
2006
The 2006 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 28–29, 2006.
2007
The 2007 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 26–28, 2007.
2008
The 2008 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 24–26, 2008.
2009
The 2009 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 30-November 1, 2009.
2010
The 2010 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 29–31, 2010.
2011
The 2011 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 28–30, 2011.
2012
The 2012 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 26–28, 2012.
2013
The 2013 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from November 1–3, 2013.
2014
The 2014 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 31-November 2, 2014.
2015
The 2015 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 30-November 1, 2015.
2016
The 2016 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held from October 28–30, 2016. During their Sunday headlining set,
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member ...
recorded the audience singing a melody for an unreleased song for its upcoming album, which later became "
Everything Now
''Everything Now'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on July 28, 2017, through Sonovox Records (physical release), Columbia Records, and Rough Trade Records. It was produced by Arcade Fire, alongside T ...
".
2017
The 2017 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 27–29, 2017.
2018
The 2018 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 26–28, 2018.
2019
The 2019 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience was held October 25–27, 2019.
2022
On June 10, 2022, festival organizers confirmed in an announcement on social media and the festival’s website that the event won't happen this year, calling it a “pause.”
See also
*
List of historic rock festivals
A rock festival is an open-air rock concert featuring many different performers, typically spread over two or three days and having a campsite and other amenities and forms of entertainment provided at the venue. Some festivals are singular eve ...
References
External links
Official website
{{New Orleans
Companies based in New Orleans
Festivals in New Orleans
Music festivals in Louisiana
Music festivals established in 1999
Rock festivals in the United States
Tourist attractions in New Orleans
Folk festivals in the United States
Jazz festivals in Louisiana