Medeski Martin & Wood come back to New Orleans for the first time since 2017

The rarely-assembled trio plays the Orpheum Theater on Friday, April 23, 2027, its first New Orleans show in nearly a decade.

Getting John Medeski, Billy Martin and Chris Wood on the same stage has become an event in itself. Next April, New Orleans gets one of those events.

Medeski Martin & Wood play the Orpheum Theater on Friday, April 23, 2027, at 9 p.m. The date was announced October 20, and it's the trio's first New Orleans show since May 4, 2017, at the Civic Theatre. The Orpheum holds about 1,780. Tickets are listed at $348.70 through Ticketmaster.

The long gap isn't only a New Orleans thing. Full MMW performances have grown increasingly uncommon as each member has pursued independent projects, a situation complicated by Wood's move to Canada while Medeski and Martin remain in the Northeast, as Live For Live Music reported. When the trio reunited aboard Jam Cruise in February 2026, it was their first public performance together in more than four years, and the first time the three had shared a stage since Brooklyn Comes Alive in September 2022.

That's the context for this date. A band that played zero public shows for four years is now booking a theater in New Orleans more than a year after its comeback set. Whether this is the start of something more regular or another rare appearance, the date itself is the news.

The date itself is the news.

New Orleans has some history with this group outside the club circuit too. Live For Live Music has covered a Jazz Fest late-night set in which MMW teamed with Nels Cline, the Wilco guitarist the trio has also toured Europe with. Those late-night sets are exactly the kind of night this city treats as sacred, and an MMW show in late April, a 9 p.m. Friday start, will feel familiar to anyone who has spent spring nights chasing the band around town.

The trio's longevity is part of the draw. Live For Live Music marked their 30 years together in a feature interview, and they have collaborated over the years with guitarist John Scofield, including a Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood reunion. None of that is announced for this show; this is the three of them, billed as MMW.

The practical notes: it's a Friday, a 9 p.m. start, and the Orpheum is a seated theater, so this will be a different experience from a packed club. The listed price is high for a theater show, so check the Ticketmaster page carefully before buying.

Nearly ten years is a long time to wait. Next April, the wait is over.

Sources: Medeski Martin & Wood at Orpheum Theater (Ticketmaster) (ticketmaster.com); Medeski Martin & Wood reunite for first performance in four years, Jam Cruise 2/9/26 (Live For Live Music) (liveforlivemusic.com); Medeski Martin & Wood team with Nels Cline for NOLA Jazz Fest late-night (Live For Live Music) (liveforlivemusic.com); Medeski Martin & Wood: Do Something, thirty years interview (Live For Live Music) (liveforlivemusic.com); John Scofield reuniting with Medeski Martin & Wood (Live For Live Music) (liveforlivemusic.com)