Zac Brown Band replaces Willie Nelson at Jazz Fest

NEW ORLEANS — The Zac Brown Band will replace country legend Willie Nelson on the closing day of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The Zac Brown Band is a country band from Atlanta that’s best known for hits like “Chicken Fried,” “Highway 20 Ride,” “Knee Deep” and “Goodbye in Her Eyes.” Melissa Etheridge also canceled her scheduled performance after members of her crew tested positive for COVID-19. The seven-day festival draws tens of thousands to the city’s Fair Grounds Race Course, where as many as 80 musical acts perform daily on more than a dozen stages, complemented by arts and crafts exhibits and an array of booths featuring foods from Louisiana and beyond. While it attracts national and international talent such as Nelson and Etheridge, the festival is also known for showcasing the wide gamut of musical talent and genres found in Louisiana such as zydeco, gospel, blues and of course, jazz.