Nevilles returning to Jazz Fest

The Neville Brothers will return for their traditional festival closing role at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. The festival will also return to its prior format of presenting seven days of music over two long weekends, April 25-27 and May 1-4, 2008. The two post-Katrina festivals had been cut back to six days.

In an announcement of the 2008 festival highlights, producer Quint Davis said, "The return of Aaron, Art, Charles and Cyril Neville to New Orleans and to Jazz Fest is as powerful a statement as possible about the return of our culture to the city. They're back, which means we're back."

The full artist lineup will be announced in January. Today the festival announced only a few names. In addition to the Neville Brothers, country music star and Louisiana native Tim McGraw and New Orleans soul group Maze featuring Frankie Beverly were named as 2008 performers.

The festival also announced its ticket pricing, including introducing a new category of VIP ticket called a Grand Marshall VIP Pass. Individual day passes are $35 per day if purchased before January 23, $40 after that, and with the gate price to be announced. Admission for the added seventh day of the event, Thursday, May 1, is less—$25 early bird and $30 thereafter.

The festival has been offering a special Big Chief VIP package in recent years. It includes access to raised and covered private viewing areas at the two main stages, semiprivate viewing areas at three other stages and a VIP hospitality lounge with beverage service. This year, Big Chief passes are priced at $750 for the first weekend and $800 for the second weekend, or $50 per day more for each with daily reserved parking.

For VIPs who want to get as close to the stagefront as possible, a new ticket option this year is the Grand Marshall VIP Pass, which allows exclusive access to standing room only areas directly in front of the three main stages. Grand Marshall pricing is $450 for the first weekend and $500 for the second weekend, or $50 per day more with reserved parking.

All tickets went on sale today and can be purchased online at www.nojazzfest.com and Ticketmaster, or at the Jazz Fest ticket office at the Louisiana Superdome.