By “Tampa” Earl Burton
Live Review: Trombone Shorty at the Seminole Hard Rock, Tampa, Florida – February 24, 2026
Tampa likes to believe it hosts the ultimate party during the Gasparilla Festival, but the TRUE February celebration comes from Louisiana, and particularly New Orleans. Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday” as it is translated, has long been associated with the Big Easy (it is a point of contention that Mobile, AL, held the first Mardi Gras celebration, back in 1703), and the thriving heartbeat of that city has been its music. Tampa got an example of the “Shorty Gras” on Tuesday night as multi-instrumentalist Trombone Shorty brought his revelry to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Event Center for what would be a thoroughly enjoyable evening of New Orleans-infused jazz.
Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler…
While it certainly was not a sellout, as is usually seen at the Event Center, the fans who were in attendance for the show on Tuesday definitely wanted to be there. The entire vibe of the evening was different from what you would see at a typical rock concert – smooth jazz wafted through the Event Center as people shuffled in for the show. That would quickly change to a more upbeat tempo after Trombone Shorty – AKA Troy Andrews – brought his band to the stage.
Trombone Shorty is already a legend in New Orleans music history. He started at the tender age of four (you are not misreading that), joining another musical legend, Bo Diddley, onstage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1990. Since that time, Andrews has become a multi-instrumentalist (he also plays a mean trumpet and sings alongside his virtuoso work on the trombone) and a Grammy recipient, and all those tools were on display for the second stop of his current tour in Tampa.
To explain the music of Trombone Shorty, you would have to describe the musical gumbo that is New Orleans. Andrews combines the traditional jazz sounds of New Orleans with several other genres, including rock, funk, Caribbean calypso, Spanish flamenco, and hip-hop, creating a hypnotic brew that is both his own and wedded to the city he comes from. The folks in the Event Center on Tuesday night roared their approval as Shorty and his band, Orleans Avenue, rumbled through a 75-minute set.
What was arguably the most impressive thing about Andrews was his vocal prowess. As someone who was only familiar with his instrumental work (and there was plenty of that on Tuesday night), Shorty’s singing voice was quite impressive, giving another layer to the presentation he delivered to the audience. But it would always come back to his instrumental chops – at one point, he held a continuous note for more than two minutes on the trumpet, while throughout the show he brought his focal instrument, the trombone, to full throat, much to the delight of the audience.
By the encore, which of course included his notable track, “Hurricane,” Trombone Shorty had thoroughly entranced the audience. It only took a “Second Line” trip through the audience and a stirring rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In” to seal the deal, but the “Shorty Gras”
was in full effect by the end of the night. It was certainly an evening where “laissez les bons temps rouler” applied to both the audience and the performance.
Keep It in The Family
Leading off the evening of New Orleans jazz was a band with close ties to Trombone Shorty. New Breed Brass Band kicked off the night’s festivities, with its leader, Jenard Andrews (Shorty’s nephew), leading his accomplished performers onto the stage. This was more the typical sound that fans might have expected from a New Orleans jazz ensemble; it was closer to a Preservation Hall Jazz Band performance, but it still had a little funk around the edges that made it their own creation.
New Breed Brass Band brought the New Orleans jazz of “Second Line” performance to the Event Center. In New Orleans, for a typical funeral service, there is a “First Line” that contains those who are certainly in mourning – the family members and a brass band playing solemn hymns and liturgies. After them (and following any services), the “Second Line” (who followed the First Line to the cemetery) would then emerge in a raucous “celebration of life” that brought dancing, music, and an uplifting of the spirit for those who grieved for their family member.
Andrews and his band brought that feeling to the Event Center on Tuesday night, offering up some of the excellent work from the album Second Line Sunday, which New Breed Brass Band and Trombone Shorty collaborated on. Their all-too-brief thirty-minute performance before Trombone Shorty took the stage offered a spirited, uplifting set to the Tampa crowd and whetted the appetite of those in attendance.
This is just the start of what is going to be an extensive tour for Trombone Shorty (New Breed Brass Band will be with Andrews through the first week in March). Florida dates in Miami, Fort Pierce, St. Augustine, and Pensacola are still on the agenda through March 3, with more dates running into September (including a set at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in May). For one of the more uplifting and entertaining concerts that you will see, you must check out Trombone Shorty on his U.S. tour in 2026 – you will not be sorry!
- Bringing the ‘Shorty Gras’ to Tampa: Trombone Shorty Celebrates at the Hard Rock Tampa Event Center - February 27, 2026
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- Spooky Riffs and Amp Assault: A Metal Marathon at the Brass Mug on Friday the 13th - February 17, 2026
