Wow. It’s been a long six months. We’re all happy to hear that Rebirth Brass Band will revive its Tuesday night residency (previously at the Maple Leaf Bar for the past 29 years) via livestream at 9 p.m. at the Howlin’ Wolf, beginning Tuesday September 29 through December 1.

Since 1991, the Grammy Award-winning Rebirth Brass Band have transformed Tuesday nights into an “only in New Orleans” experience. While the rest of the world mulls through mundane Tuesday nights, the Maple Leaf has been crammed with a melting pot of locals, tourists, celebrities, regulars, first-timers and everything in between.

Enter 2020: venues are shuttered, touring is defunct. Tuesdays are now just another day in New Orleans. Rebirth co-founder Keith Frazier decided “enough was enough” and that it was time to put the Rebirth stamp on the ever-evolving new normal.

Frazier, having already been hit with his brother Philip Frazier’s COVID 19 diagnosis (and full recovery), saw that all tour dates were pushed till 2021 and beyond.

“My phone was lighting up every day with people from all over the country asking when they will get to see us perform again,” explained Keith Frazier. “As time goes by, it was harder and harder to give the same answer: ‘I don’t know.’” On June 29, the band posted a video of their first rehearsal since early March with the full band, featuring Rebirth patriarch Phil Frazier (who has been sidelined from playing due to health reasons for the past year), sitting back in with the band on his sousaphone.  It wasn’t too long afterwards that Keith decided it was time to figure out how to get back to playing on Tuesday nights. “After seeing the reaction to just a short rehearsal video, it became pretty obvious we had to get something going.”

What that “something going” will be is an interactive livestream from The Howlin’ Wolf starting Tuesday, at 9 p.m. beginning September 29, and running every Tuesday through December 1.  The pay-per-view format will include the ability for fans to interact via a “Zoom Dance Floor” that will also serve as a virtual audience for the band, access to all 10 weeks of performances, exclusive merch and special guest dancers every week.  Subscriptions are available for the series here. It’ll be great to “Do Whatcha Wanna” again!