Trombone Shorty lights up Mercyhurst with high-octane New Orleans sound

The Mercyhurst Institute for Arts & Culture continues its MIAC Live season with an electrifying performance by Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center.

Get ready for a night of New Orleans heat in the heart of Erie, as the GRAMMY-nominated bandleader and his powerhouse ensemble bring their signature blend of funk, soul, R&B, and rock to the Mercyhurst stage.

Born Troy Andrews, Trombone Shorty got his start (and nickname) earlier than most: at four, he made his first appearance at Jazz Fest performing with Bo Diddley; at six, he was leading his own brass band; and by his teenage years, he was hired by Lenny Kravitz to join the band he assembled for his Electric Church World Tour. Shorty’s proven he’s more than just a horn player, though. Catch a gig, open the pages of the New York Times or Vanity Fair, flip on any late-night or morning TV show, and you’ll see an undeniable star with utterly magnetic charisma, a natural-born showman who can command an audience with the best of them.

Since 2010, he’s released five chart topping studio albums (his most recent being 2022’s “Lifted”); toured with everyone from Jeff Beck to the Red Hot Chili Peppers; collaborated across genres with Pharrell, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Foo Fighters, ZHU, Zac Brown, Normani, Ringo Starr, and countless more; played Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Newport Folk, Newport Jazz, and nearly every other major festival; performed four times at the GRAMMY Awards, six times at the White House, on dozens of TV shows, and at the star-studded Sesame Street Gala, where he was honored with his own Muppet; launched the Trombone Shorty Foundation to support youth music education; and received the prestigious Caldecott Honor for his first children’s book.

Meanwhile, in New Orleans, Shorty now leads his own Mardi Gras parade atop a giant float crafted in his likeness; hosts the annual Treme Threauxdown shows that have drawn guests including Usher, Nick Jonas, Dierks Bentley, Andra Day, and Leon Bridges to sit in with his band; and has taken over the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival’s hallowed final set, which has seen him closing out the internationally renowned gathering after performances by the likes of Neil Young, the Black Keys, and Kings of Leon.

In addition to touring across the globe nearly year-round, Trombone Shorty has started a very special tradition: a cultural exchange trip to Cuba with his Trombone Shorty Foundation. The fourth trip of this kind took place in January 2025 and included an ever-expanding group of special guest artists who joined Shorty and his Foundation to host workshops and play concerts in Cuba over a five-day period. These exchange programs have previously been featured on NPR and CBS Mornings.

“Lifted,” Trombone Shorty’s second release for Blue Note Records and fifth solo LP, was released in 2022. Recorded at Shorty’s own Buckjump Studio with producer Chris Seefried (Fitz and the Tantrums, Andra Day), the album finds the GRAMMY-nominated NOLA icon and his bandmates tapping into the raw power and exhilarating grooves of their legendary live show, channeling it all into a series of tight, explosive performances that blur the lines between funk, soul, R&B, and psychedelic rock. The writing is bold and self-assured, standing up to hard times and loss with grit and determination, and the playing is muscular to match, mixing pop gleam with hip-hop swagger and second line abandon. Wild as all that may sound, “Lifted” is still the work of a master craftsman, and the album’s nimble arrangements and judicious use of special guests—from Gary Clark Jr. and Lauren Daigle to the rhythm section from Shorty’s high school marching band—ultimately yields a collection that’s as refined as it is rapturous, one that balances technical virtuosity and emotional release in equal measure as it celebrates music’s primal power to bring us all together.

Since the release of “Lifted,” Shorty and his band have made appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, TODAY and Good Morning America, and CBS Mornings. Shorty has also recently performed at the MusiCares pre-GRAMMY Awards gala, the Roots Picnic with Lil Wayne, on the instantly legendary NPR Tiny Desk featuring Juvenile, and at the White House’s 2024 Juneteenth concert. His 2024 summer tour featured special guest Big Boi and included a stop at the legendary Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

Tickets, priced $25-$50, can be purchased online at miac.universitytickets.com, over the phone at 814-824-3000, or in person at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center box office (Tues.-Thurs., noon-5 p.m.). Each order is subject to a $5 per ticket processing fee, regardless of purchase or payment method.

This performance is presented with generous support from Cheryl Ward. The 2025-26 MIAC Live season is sponsored by Alan & Patti Schaal and VNET, with additional support from the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority and the Greater Erie Alliance for Equality.