Music on the Mainstage

Live musicians hit the right notes on the Main Stage with sounds ranging from bluegrass to Cajun and blues to jazz and classical.

Schedule is subject to change without notice.

JOHN COMMON

John Common sometimes wishes he were a filmmaker or a painter. But due to a run-in with his older brother's record collection at an impressionable age, he ended up with an obsession for making music instead.

He writes songs and sings the hell out of them – because if he didn't write and sing them, they'd clog his mind and his heart, and create a log jam of sorts. And then he'd get stuck at stop lights and in coffeeshop lines, mumbling incoherently to himself. He knows how to take you into a story, into a character, into a place and then pin you to the wall with feelings and thoughts that feel somehow like your own. He makes it come across as seamless, effortless.

He plays shows with his incredibly talented friends – because, on a good night, he leaves his body down there on stage and just floats around with everyone else in the air. And that makes all of the loading of gear and winding of strings worth it. Come to a show — you'll see. His current band is unlike anything he's done before… John plays acoustic, keys and sings. Jess DeNicola sings backing vocals.

John has been writing songs, playing shows, making records, touring, and leaving a trail of art and music for longer than he cares to admit. And along the way, he's gotten a ton of glowing press, won awards, released a bunch of records, and made the best friends of his life. You can read it, and see it, and hear it live and all over this website.

johncommon.com

PRAIRIE JUNCTION BAND

A Florida band that loves feel good tunes from throughout the decades and original music!

PALAFOX QUARTET

From Beethoven to Beyoncé, film scores to heavy metal; the Pensacola, Florida based Palafox Quartet brings the full emotional power of classical strings to every genre imaginable — turning beloved songs into lush, goosebump-inducing arrangements that feel entirely new. It's the kind of performance experience that makes you hear your favorite music differently forever.

Founded in 2023 and named for the vibrant downtown street at the heart of Pensacola's cultural life, the quartet first came together for a single recital — and the chemistry was undeniable. Four virtuoso musicians, one rare and instinctive connection. What started as one night of music became something more.

Now, the Palafox Quartet gives between 30–40 performances annually across the Florida panhandle and have quickly established themselves as one of the region's most recognizable ensembles. Whether gracing an intimate venue or commanding the concert hall stage, PQ delivers performances that are technically brilliant, emotionally alive, and genuinely unlike anything else in the northwest Florida classical music scene.

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ABIGAIL DOWD

Abigail Dowd is a singer-songwriter and guitarist whose music weaves together the rich tapestry of her Southern roots, personal experiences, and a deep connection to the natural world. Raised beneath the longleaf pines of North Carolina's Sandhills region, Dowd's upbringing instilled in her a profound appreciation for storytelling and the healing power of music.

Produced by Jason Richmond, her album Saints & Warriors (Nov 14, 2025) features a rich ensemble of collaborators and showcases Dowd's gift for intimate yet expansive songwriting.

With a career rooted in heartfelt narrative and nuanced musicianship, Abigail continues to craft music that listens as much as it sings.

abigaildowd.com

JEFFREY BROUSSARD & THE CREOLE COWBOYS

It's a family trade and there are few families more closely associated with zydeco than the Broussards. Jeffery Broussard (born March 10, 1967) was just 8 years old when he debuted on drums in his father's band, Delton Broussard and the Lawtell Playboys. In the decades since, Jeffery Broussard has been a torchbearer for zydeco, influencing young musicians with a traditional Creole music he learned decades ago.

At the forefront of nouveau zydeco, Jeffery Broussard and Robbie Robinson founded Zydeco Force in the late 1980's, a band that became an icon on the zydeco scene at the forefront of the nouveau zydeco movement. The band provided a template for a new generation of artists. But Broussard has come full circle in his career. He grew up in traditional zydeco, brought in a new sound in the 1980's, and has now returned to his roots.

Jeffery Broussard & The Creole Cowboys deliver great, pack-the-floor renditions of Creole classics. The Creole Cowboys create incredible music and outstanding performances, cultivating and inspiring new generations of Creole Zydeco fans.

Columnist for the Lafayette Advertiser and weekly host for KRVS radio program "Zydeco Stomp," Herman Fuselier has reviewed Cajun and Zydeco music for years. In 2008, Herman named Jeffery Broussard his top candidate for King of Zydeco, calling him pound for pound the best zydeco accordion player around — a judgment he noted was shared by fellow zydeco legend Boozoo Chavis.

Over the years Jeffery has mastered the accordion as well as the fiddle and many other instruments. He has achieved many awards which include Accordionist of the Year, Centurion Award, Canray Fontenot Fiddle Award, The TrailBlazer Award, and induction into the Louisiana Folk Life Center Hall of Fame, among others.

creolecowboys.com

BLUE CACTUS

Brimming with cracked-open honesty and electrified twang, BELIEVER cements North Carolina's Blue Cactus as a leading force in modern country and roots music. Led by songwriters Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez, the group's third album was written over a heavy two years following their critically lauded debut BLUE CACTUS and the glitz-and-glam sophomore album STRANGER AGAIN, as Stewart battled chronic health issues and the duo reassembled their musical careers in the wake of 2020.

Feeling into an arid internal landscape, Stewart found microclimates of life as she hummed melodies and jotted down phrases. On BELIEVER, Stewart's instinct for cadence and lyricism evoke Emmylou Harris' spacious storytelling and the dusty Southern folk melancholy of Gillian Welch, while Arnez holds space for each song, tending the soil with layered folk textures, genre-hopping arrangements, and bittersweet hooks.

As a departure from earlier records, BELIEVER features Stewart as Blue Cactus' sole lead singer, her gossamer warble setting a foundation upon which the duo's multiple vibrant musical communities build. Recording in the buzzy indie-folk scene of their home in the Piedmont of North Carolina, and later among the country sheen of Nashville, TN, the songs transform and journey through genre and mood.

bluecactusmusic.com

PENSACOLA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Celebrating 101 years of music in Pensacola, the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra continues to seek ways to fulfill its mission of promoting the well being of the Greater Pensacola community through excellence in live symphonic music and lifelong learning through engaging musical activities.

From the stage, PSO's goal is to provide the Pensacola community with transformative musical experiences through performances with world-renowned artists.

In addition to enlivened performances, PSO's "Beyond the Stage" program brings musical experiences to the Pensacola community in settings that include schools, retirement communities, healthcare facilities and galleries. From an introduction to music through an instrument petting zoo to the comfort of music in a healthcare setting, these recurring experiences, provided by small groups of PSO's professional musicians, foster encouragement, joy, and connections in key moments.

And this year marks the inaugural season for the Pensacola Symphony Youth Orchestra. Our talented musicians come from across the Southeast to experience music together with our community. For nearly a century, the Pensacola Symphony has enjoyed the support of the community and the privilege of sharing meaningful musical experiences.

PensacolaSymphony.com

ROMAN STREET TRIO

Brothers Noah and Josh Thompson put their guitars together to form Roman Street. Since the college years, this brotherly jam session has developed into a Billboard/iTunes charting band who many have dubbed "the next generation" of Jazz Fusion. Roman Street, named for an old roman street in the Alps where they studied guitar, is an internationally trained instrumental band specializing in improvisational fusion of Classical, Gypsy and Contemporary Jazz, Latin, and Nuevo Flamenco.

A departure from the over-produced music that is out there today, they keep it simple—the beautifully organic sound of acoustic instruments played by talented people who love what they are doing. Whether performing as a guitar duo, or with a backing band, Roman Street astounds with music that appeals to fans of many genres.

romanstreet.com