Celebrating 10 years of recovery from Hurricane Katrina, the City of Biloxi will present the “Concert for the Coast” in MGM Park on Saturday, Aug. 29, the actual 10th anniversary of the storm.
Headlining the first concert in the new stadium are two signature New Orleans acts spanning generations: Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and six-time Grammy winner Dr. John and the Nite Trippers, and internationally emerging funk master Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Coast favorite and Hard Rock headliner Rosco Bandana will open the show at 6 p.m.
The concert will climax a weekend of Katrina anniversary events scheduled across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. On the morning of Aug. 29, at 9 a.m. MGM Park will host the city’s annual Katrina Memorial Observance, where national, state and local leaders and clergy members will remember those who perished in Katrina, but the evening affair will have more of a celebratory tone.
“We wanted our first concert in MGM Park to be a memorable one and the lineup we have will assure that,” said Biloxi Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich. “Even though our recovery is a work in progress, we have made tremendous strides in the 10 years since Katrina, and it’s time to celebrate our accomplishments across the Coast. It’s a good thing there isn’t a roof on the stadium because Dr. John, Trombone Shorty and Rosco Bandana are going to blast off.”
The stage will be situated at second base, facing the stands. Tickets for limited VIP seating on the infield are $45 plus fees. Reserved chair back seating is $35 plus fees and General Admission is $25 plus fees. Tickets will go on sale next week  at the MGM Park box office and through Ticketmaster and on the internet at www.overtimesportsamerica.com.
The legendary Dr. John is a six-time Grammy Award-winning musician and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Known throughout the worl d as the embodiment of New Orleans’ musical legacy, Dr. John is a true icon in American culture. His colorful musical career began in the 1950s when he wrote and played guitar on some of the greatest records to come out of the Crescent City, including recordings by Professor Longhair, Art Neville, Joe Tex and Frankie Ford.
Dr. John headed west in the 1960s, where he continued to be in demand as a session musician, playing on records by Sonny and Cher, Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones’ “Exile On Main St.” During that time he launched his solo career, developing the charismatic persona of Dr. John The Nite Tripper. A legend was born with his breakthrough 1968 album “Gris-Gris,” which introduced to the world his unique blend of voodoo mysticism, funk, rhythm & blues, psychedelic rock and Creole roots. Several of his many career highlights include the masterful album “Sun, Moon and Herbs” in 1971 which included cameos from Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger and 1973’s “In The Right Place,” which contained the chart hits “Right Place Wrong Time” and “Such A Night.”
In addition to his six Grammy wins (1989, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2008 and 2013), he has received six other Grammy nominations over the years. In 2007 he was nominated for “Sippiana Hericane,” his Hurricane Katrina benefit disc. After Hurricane Katrina Dr. John immediately stepped up to the plate with generous relief fund-raising concerts and recordings. In 2007 he was also inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame. In 2008 he released “City That Care Forgot,” winning him a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album. His album “Locked Down”, released in 2012 with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys also won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album. In 2013 Dr. John was awarded an honorary doctorate from Tulane University alongside His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Dr. John’s critically acclaimed “Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch” is a tribute to New Orleans music legend Louis Armstrong. Dr. John and the album’s co-producer and arranger Sarah Morrow released “Ske-Dat-De-Dat” in fall, 2014. After a half century of creating music for others and himself, Dr. John continues to write, arrange, produce and interpret with a passion that has yet to wane.
Trombone Shorty, aka Troy Andrews, born in New Orleans like Dr. John, has emerged from the cauldron of Creole funk to become a breakout musical star on stage and screen. He began his career as a bandleader at the young age of six, toured internationally at age 12, and spent his teens playing with various brass bands throughout New Orleans and touring worldwide with Lenny Kravitz. He fronts Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, a funk/rock/jazz/hip-hop band. Together they have toured across the U.S., Europe, Australia, Russia, Japan and Brazil.
In 2010, Trombone Shorty released his debut album, the Grammy®-nominated “Backatown,” followed by “For True” in 2011, which topped Billboard magazine’s Contemporary Jazz Chart for 12 weeks. His newest album, “Say That to This,” was released in 2013 and features funk/jazz elements of New Orleans. Trombone Shorty appeared in several episodes of HBO’s “Treme,” and has recently appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and “Conan.”
In 2012, he performed at the White House in honor of Black History Month with music royalty such as B.B. King, Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck and Booker T. Jones. At this year’s Grammy Awards, he performed alongside Madonna, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert. In 2012, he received the President’s Medal from Tulane University in recognition of his charitable work with the Trombone Shorty Foundation, which donates quality instruments to schools across New Orleans.
In 2011, Rosco Bandana broke out of its humble origins in Gulfport to win the Hard Rock Rising national contest and become the first signee on the Hard Rock record label. That resulted in a stage performance in London, along with Stevie Nicks, Bon Jovi and Rod Stewart. Next was an album, “Time to Begin,” and a national tour. A seven-piece ensemble, Rosco remains a popular regional group across the Gulf South.