NEW ORLEANS' SUPERSTAR SPRING

Steely Dan will headline the opening day of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Neil Young will close out the final day on 5/1 with Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder toplining the other five days.

Tickets went on sale today for the annual festival that runs 4/22-24 and 4/28-5/1 at the city's fairgrounds. Regular advance tickets start at $65 per weekend; it's $75 at the gate. "Big Chief" VIP tickets for full weekends are $1,200 (weekend 1) and $1,400 (weekend 2).

Besides the headliners, the festival will also feature Snoop Dogg, Beck, Van Morrison, Nick Jonas, Julio Iglesias, J. Cole, Elvis Costello and the Imposters, My Morning Jacket, Gary Clark Jr., Bonnie Raitt, Maxwell and Arlo Guthrie on his 50th anniversary tour of Alice's Restaurant.

Among the special performances will be a tribute to the late Allen Toussaint, Los Lobos performing La Pistola y El Corazon, a tribute to Jelly Roll Morton and Geri Allen's Erroll Garner Jazz Project.

Performers representing Louisiana will include Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Irma Thomas, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Aaron Neville, Galactic, Jon Batiste and Stay Human, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers, Terence Blanchard, Davell Crawford, Rebirth Brass Band, Big Freedia, Donald Harrison Jr., Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Chas, Zigaboo Modeliste's Funk Revue, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter and Runnin' Pardners, Walter “Wolfman” Washington and BeauSoleil.