It’s the biggest week in a while for major touring artists in New Orleans, with a sold-out show at the Smoothie King Center and a slew of theater-size concerts, including three at the Saenger.

MDOU MOCTAR

MONDAY, TIPITINA’S

On the first Sunday of the 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, an overflow crowd at the Cultural Exchange Pavilion witnessed the full potency of Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar and the power trio behind him. Hailing from Niger, Moctar and company rolled with an unstoppable momentum. Playing left-handed without a pick, Moctar tore off torrents of notes. Collectively, the band evoked Jimi Hendrix crossed with Gary Clark Jr. but with a trance-inducing momentum topped by lyrics sung in the Tamasheq language. But the guitar heroics translated to any language.

Moctar,

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