After a decade of staging concerts in stadiums throughout Europe featuring 1,000 musicians, Rockin’1000 is staging its first U.S. concert Saturday night in the Superdome.
To give the show a local flavor, the Italian-based organizers needed to recruit a local heavy hitter.
So they didn’t merely whisper Harry Connick Jr.’s name, they shouted it.
Let’s just say they didn’t have to ask him twice.
“I’ve never done anything like this,” the legendary musician tells Louisiana Radio Network. “I mean, I played with some big groups, but I mean, this is over a thousand people playing at the same time.”
Rockin’1000 organizers have tapped Connick as special guest artistic director for the show.
“What they wanted me for was to make sure that they celebrated New Orleans in a way that was true to our city and respectful to our city,” says Connick.
Part of that involves adding something that no other prior Rockin’1000 show had ever featured – a brass section.
Connick says that was not only a no-brainer, but it was also non-negotiable.
“There would be no way for them to come to New Orleans and not have trumpets, saxophones (or) trombones,” Connick says. “I wouldn’t want to be a part of it. I mean, that’s so much a part of our identity.”
Connick has been working with Rockin’1000 organizers on the show for several months, and he says he feels good about what the final product will look like for the Superdome audience.
“We were able to put together a show that I think authentically shows who we are, not only in terms of musical representation, but who we are as a city that loves to welcome big groups of people who want to have a good time,” says Connick. “I think we’re the best city in the world for that.”
Rockin’1000 began in July 2015, when a marine geologist named Fabio Zaffagnini crowdfunded about 50,000 euros to shoot a video in a field in Cesena, Italy, for the sole purpose of trying to convince the Foo Fighters to perform a show in that city.
He then recruited 250 singers, 350 guitarists, 150 bassists and 250 drummers to play the Foo Fighters’ 1999 hit “Learn To Fly.”
When Zaffagnini posted the edited video onto YouTube, he was hoping for one-million views.
To date, he has eclipsed that figure 67 times over.
As for Zaffagnini’s original goal, it was mission accomplished – Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl took to YouTube and in the best Italian he could, he said the band was coming.
And on November 3, 2015, with Grohl nursing a broken leg, the Foo Fighters made good on their pledge, playing in front of a sold-out crowd at Carisport, with several of the 1,000 musicians from the viral video on hand.
After that video, there was no going back for Zaffagnini – he instantly went from marine geologist to concert promoter.
In the past, Rockin’1000 shows featured musicians facing in one direction, with the conductor in front of all of them.
That rendered only half of the stadium seating usable.
More recent shows have had the musicians “in the round,” with the conductor on an elevated podium in the middle, and that’s how the Superdome floor will be set up.
“Learn To Fly” will indeed be among the 16 songs the thousand will be performing.
There will be several special guests joining the thousand on the Superdome floor.
“We have Bonerama and Dumpstaphunk and Cowboy Mouth and The Rebirth (Brass Band),” says Connick. “I mean, it’s going to be a huge group of musicians on top of the one-thousand musicians that are playing.”
Other featured guests include The Rumble with Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Joyful and the Spirit of New Orleans Gospel Choir, students from the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music and Derrick Tabb and the Roots of Music.
Cowboy Mouth is part of the Raising Cane’s preshow, along with DJ Captain Charles.
And, yes – Connick will be joining the thousand for a couple numbers.
“I’ll be very much a part of it from the very opening all the way through,” says Connick.
Doors open Saturday at 8:00 p.m., and the pre-show starts at 8:30.