'Trombone Shorty' takes main stage at Essence Festival

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — He's no stranger to huge audiences and national exposure, but Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews says his upcoming performance at the Essence Festival is a dream come true.

Andrews, known for high-energy shows with his band Orleans Avenue, regularly plays to big crowds. On Saturday, he performed with the Foo Fighters in Washington, D.C., and for the past few years he's been the closer for the final day of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival's largest stage.

Andrews played in one of the Essence Festival smaller lounges in 2009 and had a cameo on the main stage with Prince last year. But he didn't realize Sunday's Essence hometown performance would be on the big stage.

Getting that call, he says, was very exciting.