Rochester Jazz Fest unveils 2023 line-up; tickets required for some headliners

The CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival is charging fans for tickets to see some of the headliners again.

Rochester Jazz Fest 2023 will take place from June 23 to July 1 at 19 different venues in downtown Rochester, New York, organizers announced on Tuesday. The line-up will feature four pay-per-view shows at Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre, to which there will be an admission fee, and five free open-air concerts.

The four headliners who require tickets are:

• June 23 – Pat Metheny Side-Eye, 20:00 (tickets on sale now)
• June 24 – Keb Mo’, 20:00 (tickets on sale Friday, March 24 at 10:00)
• June 25 – Omara Portuondo, VIDA Farewell Tour, 4:00 pm (Tickets on sale Friday, March 24 at 10:00 am)
• June 27 – Bonnie Raitt: Just Like That… Tour 2023 8:00 PM (SOLD OUT)

Prices for Keb ‘Mo’ and Omara Portuondo have not been announced, but tickets for Pat Metheny range from $43 to $73 plus fees.

The top five free headliners include Bruce Hornsby, Trombone Shorty and Southside Johnny:

• June 24 – St Paul & The Broken Bones – 9:00 pm at the City of Rochester Stage on East Ave and Chgestnut.
• June 28 – Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers – 9:00 pm on Wegmans Stage @ Parcel 5
• June 29 – Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes – 9:00 pm at Wegmans Stage @ Parcel 5.
• June 30 – Artimus Pyle Band celebrates Lynyrd Skynyrd – 9:00 pm at Wegmans Stage @ Parcel 5.
• July 1 – Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue – 21:00, Wegmans Stage @ Parcel 5.

All shows are part of the festival’s nine days of music, which include over 100 free shows on nine stages, jazz workshops for student musicians, Squeezers Nightly Jam Sessions at the Hyatt Regency Rochester, and Club Pass Series concerts, entry which are also paid. .

The Rochester Jazz Festival previously required paid tickets for most of its flagship performances, but last year all of its performances became free. 2022 was its first festival in three years due to the Covid pandemic, so most of the shows were on outdoor stages.

Meanwhile, Syracuse Jazz Fest returns for the second year in a row with headlining performances by Herbie Hancock and Gladys Knight in Clinton Square. All performances are free at the Syracuse Jazz Festival, taking place June 21-25 at multiple venues across the city.

For more information on the CGI Rochester Jazz Festival visit the website