Mavis Staples Reveals 80th Birthday Concert Lineups
Photo by Myriam Santos
By Jeffrey Greenblatt
Mavis Staples will celebrate her 80th birthday with a trio of concerts billed as “Mavis & Friends” in New York City, Nashville and Los Angeles this May. The initial round of guests for all three shows has been announced.
New York City’s famed Apollo Theater will host the first night on May 9 and will feature appearances from Jason Isbell, David Byrne, Jon Batiste, Lake Street Dive, Nicole Atkins, Norah Jones, The Lone Bellow and Warren Haynes. The historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville will be the site of the May 15 show with Cody Dickinson, Elle King, Jason Isbell, John Prine, Luther Dickinson, Marty Stuart, Nick Lowe, Nicole Atkins, Phil Cook, The Lone Bellow, The Milk Carton Kids and The War & Treaty on board.
The finale will take place at L.A.’s Theatre At Ace Hotel on May 22 with the bill including Benjamin Booker, Griffin Goldsmith (Dawes), Jason Isbell, Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads/Tom Tom Club), Joe Henry, Lucius, M. Ward, Phoebe Bridgers, Son Little, Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Trombone Shorty and The War & Treaty.
The Newport Folk Festival is presenting all three “Mavis & Friends” shows with proceeds going directly towards extending the Newport Festivals Foundation’s support of music education programs in each city. Tickets for the New York City show are sold out, while tickets for Nashville & Los Angeles are currently on sale.
