Jazzfest is back in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS, April 29 (UPI) -- The 37th annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival goes forward this year without missing a beat to Hurricane Katrina.

Bob Dylan opened the show Friday, singing the appropriate "High Water" and "Watching the River Flow," the New York Times said.

In Katrina's aftermath, Jazzfest seemed dead. The Fair Grounds was under several feet of water, and most New Orleans musicians were gone, like the rest of the city's population, scattered across the country.

The festival dropped a day from the schedule and accepted a large donation from Shell Oil, large enough, although the size has not been released, to add the words "presented by Shell" to the official name, the New Orleans Times-Picayune said. Organizers said the donation allowed them to keep ticket prices to a low $40.

The schedule is dominated by Louisiana performers, although there are also a list of headliners that includes Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Buffett, Paul Simon, Dave Matthews, Herbie Hancock, Keith Urban and Yolanda Adams.